Division 5 Quality control and storage of the isolates

The laboratories designated by the competent authority to perform the antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the isolates included in the F1... monitoring programme, shall be involved in a quality assurance system including proficiency test set up F2at national level, in identification, typing and susceptibility testing of the bacteria targeted by the ... monitoring of AMR.

Isolates shall be stored by the national reference laboratories for AMR at a temperature of – 80 °C for a minimum period of five years. Other methods of storage may alternatively be used provided that they ensure viability and absence of changes in strain properties.