In Georgia, antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—and in particular multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)—is an increasingly serious public health threat. As bacteria become less responsive to common treatment options, people in resource-limited countries are faced with a lack of access to effective medicines, which may not be available or are prohibitively expensive.

As Georgia works to control MDR-TB and AMR among its population, bacteriologists at the Lugar Center, the Georgian National Reference Laboratory, have been working towards international accreditation. Accreditation demonstrates a laboratory’s ability to properly test specimens and provide timely and accurate results to patients and doctors. This new focus on accreditation is positioning the Lugar Center on the frontlines of the efforts to curb the effects of MDR-TB in Georgia.

ASM, in partnership with the Lugar Center, has succeeded in its efforts to improve the standard of diagnostics by implementing the ASM Microbiology Mentoring training program. In the past, a lack of quality control for testing services has led to widespread inaccurate diagnoses among patients. By promoting standards of excellence in foundational microbiology techniques and antibiotic susceptibility testing through comprehensive trainings, ASM has been able to establish quality-controlled testing of all relevant specimens, provide more accurate diagnoses, and position the laboratory for international accreditation.