Overview of the Meropenem Yearly Susceptibility Test Information Collection (1997–2004)

Abstract

Global overuse of commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents has led to the development of high levels of resistance (Rybak, 2004). To try to control the spread of specific antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, long-term surveillance studies are required to monitor trends in antimicrobial susceptibility (Masterton et al., 2003; Masterton, 2000; Morris and Masterton, 2002). The Meropenem Yearly Susceptibility Test Information Collection (MYSTIC) Program is one such study and was set up in 1997 to monitor the in vitro activity of meropenem and comparator broad-spectrum antimicrobials against Grampositive and Gram-negative aerobic clinical isolates from hospital centers where meropenem is prescribed (Turner et al., 1999; Turner, 2000). This collection of articles will provide an overview of the MYSTIC Program and will discuss changes in worldwide resistance patterns. In addition, it will describe computer programs that have been established to aid analysis of the extensive data sets collected. In the first article, Jones et al. (2005) describe the evolution of the MYSTIC Program and how it compares with other surveillance projects, as well as providing an overview of current key geographical and susceptibility observations. The 2 articles that follow present data from the MYSTIC Program. Goossens and Grabien (2005) present prevalence and susceptibility data from the MYSTIC Program in Europe (1997–2004) and the United States (1999–2004) for Enterobacteriaceae that produce ESBLand/or AmpC h-lactamases with regard to changes in resistance patterns over time as well as regional and global differences. Unal and Garcia-Rodriguez (2005) examine the susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. isolated from MYSTIC centers