After the break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are happy to be able to organize again the congress on Antimicrobial Therapy in Immunocompromised and Critically Ill Patients (ATCIP), now at its sixth edition and scheduled to take place once again in Lugano, at the University of the Italian Switzerland (USI), on June 1-2, 2023.

Back in 2010, when the first ATCIP took place in Lugano, the infectious diseases specialists were fighting an increasing number of viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens that made the treatment of immunocompromised and critically ill patients a daunting task. The situation, unfortunately, has changed only for the worse: although some infectious agents such as the hepatitis C virus can now be successfully treated, yet new opportunistic pathogens, as also demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, are increasingly reported to infect transplantation recipients as well as oncology and ICU patients. Resistance in viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens is also increasing and makes the work by the treating physicians or ICU and ID specialists more difficult. There is a need for a concerted, multidisciplinary approach towards the treatment of such infections: multicentre, international, well-orchestrated efforts should be started to develop clear and comprehensive guidelines on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of therapeutic success.

The aim of ATCIP 2023 is to provide practical, updated information on the management of infectious diseases and the most appropriate antimicrobial therapy in immunocompromised and critically ill patients.
Brief talks given by international experts will provide insight into research and therapy of infectious diseases during plenary sessions and an interactive session. New rapid diagnostic tools and their utility for the clinician will be discussed. Infectious complications in transplant patients and the corresponding therapeutic approaches will be reviewed in a dedicated session, as will infections related to the use of immunosuppressive agents in oncology patients. New therapeutic approaches to treat ventilator-associated pneumonia and infections after abdominal surgery and recent treatment approaches for HIV will be the theme of dedicated sessions. Advances in the diagnosis of fungal pathogens, methods to tackle the occurrence of invasive aspergillosis in the ICU, and new treatment options against known and emerging invasive fungal diseases will be discussed. A poster session will allow participants to exchange information and to discuss common problems.