[Alexander Project--5 years in Poland].

The aim of the Alexander Project is to monitor resistance and its trends among the most common bacterial pathogens responsible for community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections and to compare the results obtained between different countries. In Poland, from 1996 to 2000 the percentage of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates non-susceptible to penicillin was 14.1%. Most often decreased susceptibility to penicillin co-existed with resistance to other classes of antibiotics (multi-drug resistance). The biggest number of pneumococci were resistant to co-trimoxazole (35.2%) and doxycycline (33.6%). Of Haemophilus influenzae isolates, 5.3% produced beta-lactamases. All H. influenzae isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and 3rd-generation cephalosporins. Many isolates of this species were resistant to co-trimoxazole (19.1%). The results of the Alexander Project provide crucial data for guiding national recommendations for empirical treatment of respiratory tract infections.