The Surveillance Network (TSN) - Overview

TSN is the largest and longest standing electronic surveillance network specifically designed to track InVitro antimicrobial activity patterns in the USA. Because TSN has direct connectivity to LIMS systems of US hospital and reference laboratories TSN database is a source for continuously updated antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and profiles.

Information collected through TSN, and parameters on which the database can be queried, include:

• Species identification
• Antimicrobial susceptibility data (quantitative and qualitative)
• Methods used for data generation (commercial and conventional)
• Demographic information
  • Specimen source
  • Patient location (inpatient, outpatient, ICU)
  • Patient gender and age

TSN Applications

Since 1998 TSN data and analysis has been used to support number of scientific presentations and publications by industry, academia, government, and non-profit organizations.

Other key applications have included:

• Evaluation of new product needs and niches based on the most recent resistance patterns
• Comparative evaluation of competitive products in real time
• Tracking the rate and manner of new product testing in clinical labs post regulatory approval
• Support of drug use/resistance modeling initiatives

TSN Users

Users of TSN database include governmental institutions (e.g. USFDA, CDC), members of the biopharmaceutical industry (both small molecule and vaccine developers), academic medical institutions, and non-profit organizations.