Setting interpretive breakpoints for antimicrobial susceptibility testing using disk diffusion

Abstract

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing plays a key role in clinical microbiology. The disk diffusion test dates back to the 1940s and became standardised from the 1950s, with the International Collaborative Study (ICS) and National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) as the two major standards. Interlaboratory variation of disk test results was recognised early but has never been dealt with in a satisfactory manner. The error-rate bounded method was described in 1974 and its role is discussed. Species-specific susceptibility interpretation was coined in 1980 for Proteus mirabilis and chloramphenicol. In the late 1970s, more extensive use of species-specific breakpoints was introduced in Lund (Sweden). At the same time, P. Mouton constructed species-specific regression lines and pointed out the difficulties with narrow ranges of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. A more general use of species-specific regression lines was made possible with single-strain regression analysis, using one well-defined strain tested in disk diffusion with a range of disk contents. This method made it possible to calibrate the disk test in an individual laboratory. Other methods to achieve such calibration are also described. A recent method, ‘MIC-coloured zone diameter histogram-technique’, has proven useful for the validation of species-specific interpretive breakpoints. The microbiological breakpoint proposed by Williams in 1990 has experienced a renaissance with the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) epidemiological cut-off value (ECOFF). MIC and zone diameter distributions with accompanying ECOFFs for species–antimicrobial combinations are published on the EUCAST website. A method for the reconstruction of wild-type zone diameter populations, namely normalised resistance interpretation, is described. This method can produce resistance figures that are truly comparable between laboratories.