Introduction
Infants with very low birthweight (<1,500 g, VLBW) are at increased risk for nosocomial infections (NI). In the year 2000, we implemented a surveillance system for VLBW infants in Germany: NEO-KISS. In 2005, a joint committee of healthcare providers and insurance companies required German neonatology departments to participate. As a result, NEO-KISS is now a nationwide surveillance system for NI in VLBW infants.