Chairman's introduction - The importance of good quality surveillance datatoday

The Alexander Project is a continuing, international, multicenter, longitud inal study of the antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens commonly associ ated with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), The study began in 1992 to provide high-quality surveillance data, comparable between regions and through time. As antimicrobial resistance becomes more prevalent, reliable surveillance data are required for clinical decision-ma king. Accurate current susceptibility data are required to predict clinical success through the determination of pharmacodynamic breakpoints. The Alex ander Project provides the information required for clinicians to improve t he likelihood of microbiological and clinical cure in the antibiotic treatm ent of LRTI.