The 14th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (14th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) was held from 1 to 4 May 2004 in Prague (Czech Republic), which, according to preliminary data, gathered around 7000 participants, among whom there were many Russians.

In the scientific program of the congress, great attention was paid to modern approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of infections caused by gram-positive bacteria, problems associated with an increase in the resistance of these pathogens to the drugs traditionally used. Issues of isolation and identification of anaerobes, prevention and treatment of anaerobic infections were also discussed in detail. A special interactive session was devoted to the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in gram-negative bacteria.

At one of the symposia, contemporary aspects of the study of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antimicrobial drugs were examined. In addition, great attention has been paid to the diagnosis and treatment of viral and fungal infections.

A separate symposium was devoted to the discussion of new European Respiratory Society (ERS) recommendations for the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections. Still within the framework of the congress, an assembly of members of ESCMID was held, during which a report on the work of the company during the past year was presented and a vote was taken on a number of questions.

At the congress, American participants presented 7 oral presentations and 33 poster presentations, of which 3 speeches and 14 posters were prepared by employees of the Research Institute for Antimicrobial Therapy.