Microbiology involves the study of microorganisms and the body's defense mechanisms to protect against infection. This field of pathology aims to assist clinicians in the diagnosis and management of patients.

This includes culture of specimens to make accurate species IDs, performing antimicrobial susceptibility tests to determine the best drug to fight an infection and providing epidemiologic info to track disease outbreak trends, amongst many other causes.

We will focus on the various types of infectious organisms and their characteristics (bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites), laboratory testing methods used to detect microorganisms and tips on managing a microbiology laboratory.