Hospital-acquired (HA) pleural infections, i.e. those with onset of over 48 h upon hospitalization, are associated with high rates of mortality [1]. Health-care associated (HCA) pleural infections are defined as those manifested at hospital admission or within 48 h of admission in patients complying with one of the following criteria: residence in a long-term-care facility, hospitalization within the last four weeks and receipt of intravenous medical therapy within the previous 30 days [2]. The microbiology of HA and HCA-pleural infections in Greece, has not been investigated so far and currently, empirical antimicrobial therapy is based on microbiological data available from other countries.
