Includes bibliographical references and index.

Microbial taxonomy -- Bacterial genetics, metabolism, and structure -- Host-microorganism interactions -- Laboratory safety -- Specimen management -- Role of microscopy -- Traditional cultivation and identification -- Nucleic acid-based analytic methods for microbial identification and characterization -- Immunochemical methods used for organism detection -- Serologic diagnosis of infectious diseases -- Principles of antimicrobial action and resistance -- Laboratory methods and strategies for antimicrobial susceptibility testing -- Overview of bacterial identification methods and strategies --

General considerations and applications of information provided in bacterial sections of part III -- Bacterial indentification flow charts and schemes: a guide to part III -- Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, and similar organisms -- Streptococuus, Enterococcus, and similar organisms -- Bacillus and similar organisms -- Listeria, Corynebacterium, and similar organisms --- Erysipelothrix, Lactobacillus, and similar organisms -- Nocardia, Streptomyces, Rhodococcus, and similar organisms -- Enterobacteriaceae -- Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas, and other organisms -- Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, and similar organisms --

Achromobacter, Rhizobium, Ochrobactrum, and similar organisms -- Chryseobacterium, Sphingobacterium, and similar organisms -- Alcaligenes, Bordetella (Non-pertussis), Comamonas, and similar organisms -- Vibrio, Aeromonas, Pleisomonas, and Chromobacterium -- Sphingomonas paucimobilis and similar organisms -- Moraxella -- Eikenella and similar organisms -- Pasteurella and similar organisms -- Actinobacillus, Kingella, Cardiobacterium, Capnocytophaga, and similar organisms -- Haemophilus -- Bartonella and Afipia -- Campylobacter; Arcobacter; and Helicobacter -- Legionella -- Brucella --

Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis -- Francisella -- Streptobacillus moniliformis and Spirillum minus -- Neisseria and Moraxella catarrhalis -- Overview and general considerations [Anerobic bacteriology] -- Laboratory considerations-- Mycobacteria -- Obligate intracellular nonculturable bacterial agents -- Cell wall-deficient bacteria: mycoplasma and ureaplasma -- The Spirochetes -- Laboratory methods for diagnosis of parastitic infections -- Laboratory methods in basic mycology -- Laboratory methods in basic virology -- Bloodstream infections -- Infections of the lower respiratory tract --

Upper respiratory tract infections and other infections of the oral cavity and neck -- Meningitis and other infections of the central nervous system -- Infections of the eyes, ears, and sinuses -- Infections of the urinary tract -- Genital tract infections -- Gastrointestinal tract infections -- Skins, soft tissue, and wound infections -- Normally sterile body fluids, bone and bone marrow, and solid tissues -- Laboratory physical design, management, and organization -- Quality in clinical microbiology laboratory -- Infection control -- Sentinel laboratory response to bioterrorism.