3rd Joint Meeting of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections (ARHAI) Networks

Report from EARS-Net sessions

Rapporteur: Gunnar Skov Simonsen (Norway)

Organised jointly with

Main points that were discussed

1. EARSS / EARS-Net 15 years anniversary 2. The history / science / art of AMR surveillance 3. Generally happy with what has been achieved so far! 4. Data not sufficiently utilized 5. Differentiate between surveillance and targeted surveys 6. National experiences Ireland (VRE, MDR-KP) Portugal (PPCIRA programme) Germany (MRSA, EC-ESBL) Italy (CRE, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter)

7. Transatlantic perspectives – CDC / CAESAR – WHO EURO

Main points that were discussed

8. Overview of 2014 input, planning of 2015 data call 9. Future of Acinetobacter spp. surveillance 10.Comparability of S. pneumoniae data for penicillin 11.WHONET support for EARS-Net and software development 12.ECDC data access rules 13.Summary of EARS-Net EQA results 14.Molecular surveillance in structured EARS-Net surveys 15.EuSCAPE – European survey of CPE 16.Acquired versus natural resistance – the ecology of resistance

Conclusions

1. Better use of AMR data both by ECDC and others 2. Country presentations with good templates for

implementation of AMR surveillance and containment, often with regional component and increased political / regulatory focus

3. The 2015 data call (AMR and denominator data) as in previous years, common hospital identifier may improve quality of denominator data in the future

4. Continuation of Acinetobacter spp. surveillance 5. Use oxacillin screen as proxy for penicillin in S. pneumoniae

Perspectives

1. EARS-Net is a mature surveillance network Ability to map the problem Monitor changes and effect of interventions Form a template for other regions More extensive use of data, better integration with other surveillance programs and in-depth molecular surveys