The intensive use of antimicrobial agents has facilitated the emergence of a variety of resistance mechanisms in bacteria. The prevalence of resistant bacterial clones is particularly high in the nosocomial environment. The consequences of this problem must be assessed both medically and economically, since the patients infected with antibiotic-resistant microorganisms are in increased risk to receive an inappropriate therapy and to have a longer course of disease or a fatal outcome. Control measures aiming to limit the emergence and dissemination of resistant pathogens include antibiotic restriction policies and development of new antibacterial compounds. The effectiveness of both approaches depends on the good understanding of the biology of resistance. Local monitoring and management is considered essential because of differences in targeting the problems at each place. Moreover, national or global surveillance and strategy develop from local information. As has been documented in recent studies, the resistance rates recorded in Greece are amongst the highest in Europe.

Central activities of the Bacteriology Laboratory of the Hellenic Pasteur Institute (H.P.I.) include basic and applied research in the field of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Our main objectives are the surveillance of resistance in the Greek hospitals and the community as well as the analysis of the underlying mechanisms of expression and spread of resistance.