Homology:

Quality of being homologous and therefore corresponding in structure, position, or origin.

Host:

Animal or plant that harbors or nourishes another organism.

Incidence:

Frequency of new occurrences of disease within a defined time interval. Incidence rate is the number of new cases of a specified disease divided by the number of people in a population over a specified period of time, usually one year.

Infection:

Successful colonization on a site of the body by a microorganism capable of causing damage to the body.

Inhibitor:

Any substance that interferes with a chemical reaction, growth, or other biological activity.

Intermediate resistance:

Property of bacteria that can survive and grow in low concentrations, but not higher concentrations, of an antibiotic.

Invasive:

Pertaining to a bacterium (1) capable of penetrating the host's defenses; (2) capable of entering host cells or passing through mucosal surfaces and spreading in the body.

In vitro tests:

Techniques that use cells, tissues, or explants grown in a nutritive medium rather than living animals or human subjects.

In vivo:

Within the living body.

Isolate:

A pure culture of a microorganism.

Macrolides:

Family of bacteriostatic antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis by binding to the large subunit of the bacterial ribosome; includes erythromycin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol (rarely used because of adverse side effects), and the new drugs clarithromycin and azithromycin.

Mass spectrometry:

Analytical method for measuring molecular mass and structure.

Media:

Plural of medium; substances used to culture bacteria.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus:

Strictly speaking, a bacterial strain resistant to methicillin. In practice, MRSAs are generally resistant to many antibiotics and some are resistant to all but vancomycin, so that the acronym is now generally used to mean ''multidrug-resistant S. aureus."

MIC:

See minimum inhibitory concentration.

Microorganism:

Minute, microscopic, or submicroscopic living organism; includes bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Viruses are often included in this category, but they are incapable of growth and reproduction outside host cells, so that some experts insist they should not be classified as organisms. Minimum inhibitory concentration: Lowest concentration of antibiotic that prevents growth of a bacterium.

Morbidity:

Diseased condition or state. Mortality: Proportion of deaths to population or to a specific number of the population; death rate.

MRSA:

Methicillin-resistant S. aureus.

Front Matter (R1-R12)

Workshop Summary (1-7)

Workshop Report (8-74)

Appendix A: Inventory of Surveillance Systems (75-93)

Appendix B: American Society for Microbiology Recommendations (94-103)

Appendix C: Glossary and Acronyms (104-111)

Appendix D: Workshop Agenda (112-115)