"Epidemiological information on resistance patterns is scarce in our country due to the poor facilities for proper identification of infectious agents to the species level," Dr Sagarika Samarasinghe, president of the Sri Lanka College of Microbiologists (SLCM), was quoted as saying in a statement.
"Although clinical information on antibiotic resistance is released, the existing limitations in identification of species, diminishes the epidemiological importance of this information.
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As part of the project, the College of Microbiologists plans to establish a national data bank on antibiotic resistance and promote further research on the subject, she said.
GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK) is giving 10.3 million rupees for the four year study, launched by the Sri Lanka College of Microbiologists, the company said.
The National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance