[Clinical microbiology in the 21 century].

The number of compromised patients has remarkably increased, with the recent advancement of medical treatment. This fact may account for the increase in the rate of hospital infection. Occupational infection of health care workers from blood-borne virus is another problem. During the recent increase in hospital infections, clinical microbiology laboratories in many countries performed expanded routine work and research. These situations were studied through questionnaires sent to countries with membership in the Hospital Infection Society. An inquiry into the tasks of clinical microbiology in the 21 century was made in order to establish more effective and useful system of the laboratories.