SMART is an antimicrobial surveillance study looking at intra-abdominal infections conducted by Merck & Co., Inc.  

Study Name:     SMART (Study Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends)

Background:
SMART was started in 2002 as a worldwide surveillance study. It was designed to monitor, globally and longitudinally, the in vitro susceptibility of intra-abdominal bacterial clinical isolates collected from all units of an institution.  The centers include both teaching hospitals and community hospitals.  Surveillance studies have provided important information about changes in the spectrum of microbial pathogens and trends in the antimicrobial resistance patterns in nosocomial and community-acquired infections [1-3] and continued monitoring of antimicrobial resistance patterns in hospitals is essential to guide effective empirical therapy.

Objective:
In addition to providing the Merck research program with important information on resistance patterns, SMART provides valuable and unbiased international in vitro data that can be of service to participating institutions by analyzing the susceptibility profiles in the infectious disease arena.

Study Design:

1. Each institution that enrolls in a study collects 100 non-duplicate consecutive gram-negative intra-abdominal organisms.
2. These isolates are obtained from all wards within an institution. 
3. There should be commitment to participate annually over multiple years.
4. The results are confidential; however pooled data will be used in publications, and institutions will have access to their own data. 

Contact information:
For product and service information, call the Merck National Service Center at (1-800-609-4618).

References:

1. Spencer RC, Baurenfeind A, Garcia-Rodriquez J, et al. Surveillance of the current resistance of nosocomial pathogens to antibacterials. Clin. Microbiol Infect 1997; 3(Suppl 1): S21-S35
2. Sahm, DF, Marsilio, MK & Piazza, G (1999). Antimicrobial resistance in key bloodstream bacterial isolates: electronic surveillance with The Surveillance Network database USA. Clinical Infectious Diseases (1996) 29, 259-63
3. Jones, RN The emergent need for Basic Research, education, and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. Problems facing the report from the American Society for Microbiology Task Force on Antibiotic Resistance. Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 25, 153-61