The face of infectious diseases has changed since the second edition of A Guide to Specimen Management in Clinical Microbiology was published in 1999. Despite improved surveillance and vaccinations, tens of millions of people visit physicians annually for a possible microbial or parasitic infection. Identifying the infectious agent in a patient remains a top priority, and proper identification begins with careful collection, appropriate packaging and transport, and responsible reporting of patient specimens. For these reasons, A Guide to Specimen Management in Clinical Microbiology is as essential as ever. The book is divided into four sections and features tips and words of wisdom that come directly from experts in the field. Communicating laboratory needs explains to all members of the healthcare team what role the clinical microbiology laboratory plays in patient care. It also emphasizes that microbiology specimens contain living organisms that require proper handling to remain viable. Specimen management policies and rationale provides a framework for creating a specimen management policy and a specimen collection and handling manual that, together, support good medicine and good laboratory practice. Specimen collection and processing contains detailed protocols for selecting, collecting, storing, and transporting adult and pediatric specimens to the clinical microbiology laboratory. This section can serve as a model for preparation of the specimen management manual. Specimen management summary tables are handy reference guides that provide answers to most questions regarding the laboratory needs for a wide variety of bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic organisms found in patient specimens. Because patient care is a team effort, all members of the health care teamaEURO physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, specimen collectors, and laboratoriansaEURO will benefit greatly from reading this book.