CEQA-AGAR

(Canadian External Quality Assessment - Advisory Group on Antibiotic Resistance)
Bureau of Microbiology - Health Canada
1015 Arlington Street
Winnipeg Manitoba,   R3E 3R2

Friday, February 26, 1999

By this letter, I introduce you to the Canadian External Quality Assessment - Advisory Group on Antibiotic Resistance. CEQA-AGAR was formed in 1997 as part of the same national concern that lead to the consensus meeting on antibiotic resistance held in Montreal (May 1997). CEQA-AGAR is a knowledge based Advisory Group that addresses antimicrobial susceptibility testing and reporting in Canada to enable quality data to support national system for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. On these matters, the advisory group reports to the Director General of Laboratory Centre for Disease Control.

CEQA-AGAR is intended to be primarily focused for those laboratories and programs that will provide surveillance information on antibiotic resistance to a national program, however, as a secondary objective, CEQA-AGAR will contribute to good laboratory practices for the Canadian community of laboratories that create antimicrobial susceptibility information, through dissemination of information derived through the consensus process.

Enclosed you will find the products of efforts by CEQA-AGAR, the creation of provisional standards for Canadian laboratories for susceptibility testing of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative staphylococcii, Vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, and antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae due to production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs).

Members of CEQA-AGAR include: Lewis Abbott MD FRCPC, Deirdre Church MD Ph.D. FRCPC, Glenna Hardy MD FRCPC, Greg Horsman MD FRCPC, Fran Jamieson MD FRCPC, Louise Jetté BSc, Wendy Johnson Ph.D. RM(CCM), Patricia Landolfo Ph.D., Donald Low MD FRCPC, Sandra March MSc ART, Michael Mulvey Ph.D, Robert Rennie Ph.D. SCM(CCM), Harold Richardson MD FRCPC SCM (CCM), Diane Roscoe MD FRCPC, Pierre Turcotte MSc, and Trevor Williams MD FRCPC. The members represent all provinces and regions, and bring to the table great depth of knowledge, expertise and experience in clinical microbiology.

These guidelines are intended to remain with provisional status for 12 months during which all interested individuals are invited to submit comments for revisions. At the end of that time the documents will be revised to final status, with revision date to be established in 5 years time, or earlier if major methodology changes occur in the interim. All comments and recommendations are encouraged and welcome.

Yours sincerely,
Michael A. Noble MD FRCPC
Chair, CEQA-AGAR.

• Guidelines for the Testing and Reporting of Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci

• Guidelines for the Testing and Reporting of Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Streptococcus pneumoniae

• Guidelines on susceptibility testing of antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae due to extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs)

• Guidelines for the Testing and Reporting of Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Commentary on Methicillin Resistant Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (MR-CNS)

Links to other Canadian laboratory proficiency programs

• Clinical Microbiology Proficiency Testing (CMPT)