Antibiotic resistance in hospital pathogens - acquisition or spread?

Hospital resistant pathogens are a problem of hospital use allowing acquisi tion of multi-resistant strains. The use of antibiotics in the community an d on the farm has little impact on hospital infection rates and prevalence of resistance in hospital bacteria. Once acquisition occurs the main proble m is spread of clones to highly vulnerable patients. Attention to protectiv e methods for such patients ought to be a priority in hospital infection co ntrol. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. and International Society of Chemothe rapy. All rights reserved.