This systematic review would have not been possible without the continuous and enthusiastic support of most of the trials investigators. They collaborated in the different phases of this review up to the publication of our earlier review (D'Amico 1998) by providing information on the design and conduct of their studies, checking the accuracy of the data before the final analysis, attending a meeting where preliminary results were presented and, finally, reviewing earlier drafts of the manuscript. They are listed below:
M Abele‐Horn 1997 (Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universitat, Munich, Germany); SJA Aerdts 1991 (Sophia Hospital, Zwolle, The Netherlands); P Blair 1991, B J Rowlands, H Webb and K Lowry (Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland); JP Boland 1991, D Sadler, A Stewart and J Pollock (Health Science Center Charlestone, West Virginia University, West Virginia, USA); C Brun‐Buisson 1989 (Hopital Henry Mondor, Creteil, France); FB Cerra 1992 (University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic, Minneapolis, USA); FR Cockerill 1992 and RL Thompson (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA); M Ferrer 1992 and A Torres (Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain); RG Finch 1991, P Tomlinson and G Rocker (Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham, United Kingdom); H Gastinne 1992 (on behalf of the French study group on Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract ‐ France); P Gaussorgues 1991 (Hopital Eduoard Herriot, Lyon, France); B Georges 1994 (Hopital de Rangueil, Toulouse, France); JMJ Hammond 1992, PD Potgieter (Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa); S Jacobs (University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom); S Jacobs and M Zuleika (Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia); AJH Kerver 1988 (Sint Franciskus Hospital, Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Netherlands); AM Korinek 1993 (Hopital Pitie‐Salpetriere, Paris, France); AN Laggner 1994 (Vienna General Hospital, Vienna, Austria); FP Lenhart 1994 (University of Munich, Germany); W Lingnau (Leopold‐Franzens‐Universitat Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria); A Martinez‐Pellus and J Rodriguez‐Rolda 1990 (University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain); M Palomar 1997 (Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain); J Pugin 1991 and P Suter (University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland); C Martin, B Quinio 1995 and J Albanese (Hopital Nord, Marseilles, France); LA Rocha 1992 (Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruna, Spain); M Sanchez‐Garcia 1992 (Hospital PPE Asturias, Alcala de Henares, Spain); CP Stoutenbeek 1994 (Academisch Ziekenhuis, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands); C Ulrich 1989 and J E Harinck‐De Weerd (Westeinde Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands); K Unertl 1987 (Klinikum Grosshadern, Munich, Germany); J Verhaegen and C Verwaest (University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium); J Wiener 1995 (Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago, USA); R Winter 1992 (Queens Medical Centre University Hospital, Nottingham, United Kingdom).

This review was originally initiated at the request of the French Society of Intensive Care in preparation for the consensus conference on Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract (Paris, December 1991) and led to the first publication in 1993 (SDD Group 1993). It was then continued and updated between 1993 and 1998 through resources made available from the Mario Negri Institute, Milan, Italy and an unrestricted grant provided by Hoechst Marion Roussel Italy, the sponsors had no control on the protocol preparation, data analysis and manuscript review and their support was sought after the decision of undertaking the review by the review authors. Since 2004 the review has been updated without any specific research grant attached using institutional resources of the review authors.

Finally, the review authors wish to thank the following referees for commenting on the 2009 updated review: Janet Wale, Tim Kenealy, Max Bulsara, and Jenny Doust.