EQAS

One of the tasks as the EU Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance is to organise and conduct an External Quality Assurance System (EQAS) on susceptibility testing of Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, enterococci and staphylococci. Also, an EQAS is conducted to compare the proficiency related to the selective isolation and AST of E. coli isolates from samples of either meat or caecal content.

The main objective of this EQAS is to support laboratories to assess and if necessary improve the quality of susceptibility testing of pathogens originating from food and animal sources. Furthermore, to assess and improve the comparability of surveillance and antimicrobial susceptibility data reported by different laboratories to EFSA.

DTU National Food Institute is accredited by DANAK under ISO/IEC 17043 (no. 516) to provide proficiency testing schemes for phenotypic PTs for the EURL-AMR, and under ISO/IEC 17025 (no. 350) to provide AST results (broth microdilution). All activities are conducted in accordance with documented quality assurance procedures, including the registration and assessment of complaints by the EURL-AMR PT team.

Complaints can be submitted directly to the PT coordinator (see email address in prenotification and PT protocol) or to food@food.dtu.dk. In cases where products and services for the PT are externally provided, DTU National Food Institute as PT provider retains the responsibility.

• Reports on already conducted EURL-AR EQAS's are available for download

For the EURL-AMR proficiency test (PT) on AST 2025 on E. coli and S. aureus (sent October 2025), protocol and testforms are available below.

For the 2025 EURL-AR EQAS on selective isolation and AST of E. coli isolates from samples of meat and caecal content, test material has been shipped to the participants in November 2023. Protocol and testforms are available below.