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It is essential to monitor the utilisation of antibacterial drugs in order to establish appropriate measures for their control. The pattern of usage of antibacterial drugs, and its association with indicators of hospital infection, has been investigated in a non-specialized adult intensive care unit (ICU) located in Santa Luzia Hospital (Brasília, DF, Brazil). The study was conducted between January 2001 and June 2004. Data concerning the utilisation of systemic antibacterial drugs, classified according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) system, and indicators of hospital infection, defined according to the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system, were obtained from appropriate hospital archives. During the study period, the average utilisation of antibacterial drugs was 1918.5 DDD units per 1000 patient-day (DDD1000). The three most used drugs were penicillins/beta-lactamase inhibitors (535.3 DDD1000), third generation cephalosporins (239.1 DDD1000) and quinolones (212.5 DDD1000). The total utilisation of antibacterial drugs was correlated significantly with the incidence of hospital infection (R = 0.62; p < 0.01) and the index of invasive procedures (R = 0.41; p < 0.01). Furthermore, the latter two indicators were significantly and positively correlated with the use of recently commercialised, broad spectrum antibacterial drugs (except for carbapenems). It is concluded that improved infection control procedures, together with more rigorous criteria regarding the use of invasive procedures, should be implemented by the ICU studied in order to diminish the utilisation of antibacterial drugs.