Intended to guide clinical microbiologists in the selection, performance, and interpretation of laboratory procedures for diagnostic and theraputic applications. A reference source detailing what is done in clinical microbiology laboratories.

General issues in clinical microbiology -- Introduction to the seventh edition of the manual of clinical microbiology -- Laboratory management -- Commensal and pathogenic microorganisms of humans -- Specimen collection, transport, and storage -- Specimen processing -- Clinical microbiology laboratory in infection control and prevention -- Infection control epidemiology and clinical microbiology -- Laboratory procedures for the epidemiologic analysis of microorganisms -- Decontamination, disinfection, and sterilization -- Prevent and control of laboratory-acquired infections -- Investigation of foodborne and waterborne disease outbreaks -- Diagnostic technologies in clinical microbiology -- Manual and automated systems for microbial identification -- Immunoassays for the diagnosis of infectious diseases -- Molecular detection and identification of microorganisms -- Bacteriology -- Taxonomy and classification of bacteria -- Gram-positive cocci -- Algorithm for identification of aerobic gram-positive cocci -- Staphylococcus and micrococcus -- Streptococcus -- Enterococcus -- Leuconostoc, pediococcus, stomatococcus, and miscellaneous gram-positive cocci that grow aerobically -- Gram-positive rods -- Algorithm for identification of aerobic gram-positive rods -- Coryneform gram-positive rods -- Listeria, erysipelothrix, and kurthia -- Bacillus and recently derived genera -- Nocardia, rhodococcus, gordona, actinomadura, streptomyces, and other actinomycetes of medical importance -- Mycobacterium -- Gram-negative bacteria -- Algorithms for identification of aerobic gram-negative bacteria -- Enterobacteriaceae: introduction and identification -- Escherichia, shigella, and salmonella -- Klebsiella, enterobacter, citrobacter, and serratia -- Yersinia and other enterobacteriaceae -- Vibrio -- Aeromonas and plesiomonas -- Pseudomonas -- Burkholderia, stenotrophomonas, ralstonia, brevundimonas, comamonas, and acidovorax -- Acinetobacter, alcaligenes, moraxella, methylobacterium, and other nonfermentative gram-negative rods -- Actinobacillus, capnocytophaga, eikenella, kingella, and other fastidious or rarely encountered gram-negative rods -- Legionella -- Neisseria and branhamella -- Haemophilus -- Bordetella -- Brucella -- Pasteurella -- Bartonella and afipia -- Francisella -- Aneaerobic bacteria -- Algorithm for identification of anaerobic bacteria -- Clostridium -- Peptostreptococcus, propionibacterium, lactobacillums, actinomyces, and other non-spore-forming anaerobic gram-positive bacteria -- Bacteroides, porphyromonas, prevotella, fusobacterium, and other anaerobic gram-negative rods and cocci -- Curved and spiral-shaped gram-negative rods -- Algorithms for identification of curved and spiral-shaped gram-negative rods -- Campylobacter and arcobacter -- Helicobacter -- Leptospira and leptonema -- Borrelia -- Treponema and other host-associated spirochetes -- Mycoplasmas and obligate intracellular bacteria -- Algorithms for identification of mycoplasmas, ureaplasma, and obligate intracellular bacteria -- Mycoplasma and ureaplasma -- Chlamydia -- Rickettsia -- Coxiella -- Ehrlichia -- Virology -- Taxonomy and classification of viruses -- Algorithms for detection and identification of viruses -- Human immunodeficiency viruses -- Human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I and II -- Herpes simplex viruses -- Human cytomegalovirus -- Varicella-zoster virus -- Epstein-barr virus -- Human herpesviruses 6, 7, and 8 herpes B virus -- Influenza viruses -- Parainfluenza viruses -- Respiratory syncytial virus -- Measles virus -- Mumps virus -- Rubella virus -- Adenoviruses -- Rhinoviruses -- Enteroviruses -- Rotaviruses -- Caliciviruses, astroviruses, and other diarrheic viruses -- Hepatitis A virus -- Hepatitis B and D viruses -- Hepatitis C and G viruses -- Hepatitis E Virus -- Human papillomavirus -- Polyomaviruses -- Human parvoviruses -- Rabies virus -- Arboviruses -- Filoviruses and arenaviruses -- Poxviruses infecting humans -- Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies -- Mycology -- Taxonomy, classification, and morphology of the fungi -- Algorithms for detection and identification of fungi -- Candida, cryptococcus, and other yeasts of medical importance -- Pneumocystis -- Aspergillus, fusarium, and other opportunistic moniliaceous fungi -- Rhizopus, rhizomucor, absidia, and other agents of systemic and subcutaneous zygomycoses -- Histoplasma, blastomyces, coccidioides, and other dimorphic fungi causing systemic mycoses -- Trichophyton, microsporum, epidermophyton, and agents of superficial mycoses -- Bipolaris, exophiala, scedosporium, sporothrix, and other dematiaceous fungi -- Fungi causing eumycotic mycetoma -- Parasitology -- Taxonomy and classification of human parasites -- Algorithms for detection and identification of parasites -- Plasmodium and babesia -- Leishmania and trypanosoma -- Toxoplasma -- Pathogenic and opportunistic free-living amebae -- Intestinal and urogenital amebae, flagellates, and ciliates -- Cryptosporidium, cyclospora, and isospora -- Microsporidia -- Intestinal helminths -- Tissue helminths -- Arthopods of medical importance -- Antimicrobial agents and susceptibility testing -- Antimicrobial susceptibility testing: general considerations -- Antibacterial agents -- Mechanisms of resistance to antimicrobial agents -- Antibacterial susceptibility tests: dilution and disk diffusion methods -- Susceptibility testing of fastidious bacteria -- Susceptibility testing of anaerobic bacteria -- Special phenotypic methods for detecting antibacterial resistance -- Genetic methods for detecting antibacterial and antiviral resistance genes -- Susceptibility testing instrumentation and computerized expert systems for data analysis and interpretation -- Antimycobacterial agents and susceptibility tests -- Antiviral agents and susceptibility tests -- Antifungal agents and susceptibility tests -- Antiparastic agents and susceptibility tests -- Reagents, stains, and media -- Reagents -- Stains -- Media.