Surveillance Consortia Collect and Process Data

Surveillance is performed by a variety of groups (see Box 8-1). In some cases, public agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, compile data from many local sources. In other cases, small groups of clinical scientists solicit information from hospitals and clinical laboratories, generally with financial support from government agencies. Pharmaceutical companies also participate, because surveillance surveys in the United States and Europe are now a required element of the approval path and follow-up for new antibiotics. Such studies help companies market their compounds after approval if the prevalence of resistance is low. Industry also uses surveys to direct future antibiotic development when the prevalence of resistance is growing.