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EPIDEMIOLOGY: Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs) varies temporally, geographically, and by healthcare setting. In general MDROs rates are higher in hospitals compared to the outpatient setting. Within the hospital the prevalence of MDRO-patients in ICUs is higher than in non-ICU wards. While the number of MRSA-patients decreased over the last years, there was a continuous increase of Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) in Germany. At present, every 60. patient in the ICU is known as colonized or infected with GNB. SURVEILLANCE: Hospitals in Germany are obliged by the "protection against infection act" (REF?)11 to establish a surveillance for MDROs. To improve the informative value of the surveillance it is recommended to participate in one of three surveillance systems for MDROs in Germany, which differ with regard to the effort required and their key messages. IMPORTANCE: MDROs may increase healthcare costs as well as patient morbidity and mortality. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.