The Recall Desk
HighFDA (Devices)·Z-2671-2025·Announced 2025-10-08

Antimicrobial susceptibility test cards recalled over false colistin resistance results

bioMerieux is recalling 235,269 VITEK 2 Gram-negative AST cards containing colistin formulation cs02n because they may give false resistant results for multi-drug-resistant organisms.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: Scored 3 under the risk-of-harm criterion: erroneous susceptibility results can misdirect antibiotic therapy, and no patient harm is reported.

Plain-English summary

VITEK 2 Gram-negative AST test kits (cards) containing colistin formulation cs02n are being recalled. VITEK 2 is an automated system of instruments, software and reagent cards used for the identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacteria.

The affected cards carry a potential for false resistant results for colistin (cs02n) with multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii complex. A false resistant result could lead a laboratory to report that an isolate is not susceptible to colistin when it is.

The recall covers 235,269 cards, including material number 423936 (AST-N412 test kit, 20 cards). Distribution listed in the enforcement record is international. The FDA has classified the action as Class II.

Laboratories should identify affected batch numbers and follow bioMerieux's instructions on confirmatory testing and reporting of colistin results for these organisms.

The recalled product

Product
VITEK¿ 2 Gram-negative AST Test Kits (Cards) containing Colistin formulation cs02n. VITEK¿ 2 is an automated system consisting of instruments, software and reagent cards designed for the identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacteria and yeast. Export o
Manufacturer
bioMerieux, Inc.
Hazard
  • inaccurate-results
  • false-resistant
  • antimicrobial-susceptibility
  • diagnostic-error

Distribution

Distribution scope not specified by the agency.