Bacterial resistance is an increasingly severe problem in Hungary. According to the data from Péterfy Teaching Hospital, Budapest and from the country-wide network of Public Health Laboratories, penicillin resistant pneumococci, multiresistant Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are of major concern. Over 30% of pneumococci are penicillin resistant. The proportion of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is relatively low nation-wide (6.2%) but at Péterfy hospital it is higher (30%). The rate of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa against gentamicin, tobramycin is about 30-40%, while that against amikacin (11%) ceftazidime (11.9%) and imipenem (5%) remained low. The resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa against ciprofloxacin is rapidly increasing, exceeding 50% in some hospital departments. The high bacterial resistance appears to be the consequence of the unconsidered use of antibiotics and poor infection control in hospitals.