This is the list of commonly used short forms in Microbiology. Some of these abbreviations are very popular and thus obvious while others are gaining more usage lately.
| Abbreviations | Full Name | Explanation |
| AIDS | Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome | Severe immune deficiency disease caused by HIV infection of T cells, characterized by opportunistic infections and other complications. |
| ASR | Analyte specific reagent | |
| ATCC | American Type Culture Collection | |
| BAP | 5% Sheep Blood agar plate | |
| BCG | Bacille Calmette-Guerin | An attenuated strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis used for immunization |
| BHI | Brain heart infusion | |
| BSC | Biological Safety Cabinet | Also called biosafety hoods, these are enclosures in which laboratory personnel/researchers can work with relatively dangerous organisms without risk of acquiring or spreading infection caused by them. |
| BSL | Biosafety level | |
| CAMP | Christie, Atkins, and Munch-Peterson | A diffusible extracellular protein named after Christie, Atkins, and Munch-Peterson that is produced by certain organisms (e.g., Streptococus agalactiae) and acts synergistically with beta lysin of S. aureus to cause enhanced lysis of red blood cells. |
| CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | |
| CF | Complement Fixation | |
| CFU | Colony-forming unit | |
| CHOC | Chocolate agar | |
| CLSI | Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (formerly NCCLS) | |
| CMI | Cell-mediated immunity | |
| CNS | Central Nervous System | |
| CPE | Cytopathic effect | Alteration in cell morphology resulting from viral infection on cell culture monolayer. |
| CSF | Cerebrospinal fluid | |
| Ct | Threshold Cycle | The amplification cycle number in which the fluorescent signal rises above the background; is also referred to as the crossing point. |
| DFA | Direct fluorescent antibody test | |
| DIC | Disseminated intravascular coagulation | A disastrous complication of sepsis. |
| DNA | Deoxyribonucleic acid | The lipoprotein molecule that contains the genetic code for most living things. |
| Dx | Diagnosis | |
| Eh | Oxidation-reduction potential | |
| EIA | Enzyme immunoassay | |
| ELISA | Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay | An immunological assay that uses enzymes conjugated with antibodies to produce a visible endpoint. |
| EMB | Eosin-methylene blue | An agar |
| FTA-ABS | Fluorescent treponemal antigen-antibody absorption test | Indirect fluorescent antibody stain that is used to detect antibodies directed against whole-cell antigens of Treponema pallidum. |
| FUO | Fever of unknown origin | |
| GC | Gonococcus | |
| GLC | Gas-liquid chromatography | A method for separating substances by allowing their volatile phase to flow through a heated column with a carrier gas and measuring the time required to detect their presence at a distal end of the column. |
| HAI | Hemagglutination Inhibition | |
| HAI | Hospital-acquired Infection | |
| HEPA | High-efficiency particulate air filter | HEPA filters are used in biological safety cabinets to trap pathogenic microorganisms. |
| HPLC | High-pressure (or performance) liquid chromatography | Similar to GLC but capable of higher resolution because of increased pressure of liquid carrier that runs through the column. |
| IFA | Indirect fluorescent antibody | Test that detects antibody by allowing an antibody to react with its substrate and adding a second fluorescein dye-labeled antibody that will bind to the first. |
| IgA | Immunoglobulin A | |
| IgD | Immunoglobulin D | |
| IgE | Immunoglobulin E | |
| IgG | Immunoglobulin G | |
| IgM | Immunoglobulin M | |
| KIA | Kligler’s iron agar | |
| KOH | Potassium hydroxide | |
| LCR | Ligase chain reaction | |
| LD Body | Leishman-Donovan body | Small, round intracellular form (called amastigote or leishmanial stage) of Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi. |
| LGV | Lymphogranuloma venereum | The name of certain strains of Chlamydia trachomatis that cause a systemically expressed sexually transmitted disease. |
| LPS | Lipopolysaccharide | Carbohydrate-lipid complex; integral substance in gram-negative cell walls. Also known as endotoxin. |
| MAC | Mycobacterium avium complex | |
| MAC | MacConkey agar | |
| MBC | Minimum Bactericidal concentration | The minimum concentration of antimicrobial agent needed to yield a 99.9% reduction in viable colony-forming units of a bacterial or fungal suspension. |
| MHA-TP | Microhemagglutination test for antibody to Treponema pallidum | |
| MIC | Minimum inhibitory concentration | The minimum concentration of antimicrobial agent needed to prevent visually discernible growth of a bacterial or fungal suspension. |
| MOTT | Mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis | |
| NCCLS | National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards | |
| NGU | Nongonococcal urethritis | |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health | |
| NTM | Nontuberculous mycobacteria | All species of mycobacteria that do not belong to M. tuberculosis complex. |
| O&P | Ova and parasites | |
| O-F | Oxidation-fermentation medium | |
| ONPG | o-nitrophenol-b-galactopyranoside (b-galactosidase test) | |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration | |
| PCR | Polymerase chain reaction | A method for expanding small discrete sections of DNA by binding DNA primers to sections at the end of the DNA to be expanded and using cycles to heat (to create single-stranded DNA) and cooler temperatures (to allow a DNA polymerase enzyme to create new sections of DNA between primer ends) |
| PFGE | Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis | |
| PFU | Plaque-forming unit(s) | |
| PID | Pelvic inflammatory disease | |
| PMC | Pseudomembranous colitis | Syndrome in the large bowel characterized by a layer of necrotic tissue and dead inflammatory cells often caused by the toxin of Clostridioides difficile. |
| PMNs | Polymorphonuclear leukocytes | |
| PPD | Purified protein derivative | Skin test antigen for tuberculosis |
| PPE | Personal protective equipment | |
| QA | Quality Assurance | |
| QC | Quality Control | |
| QNS | Quantity not sufficient | |
| RBCs | Red blood cells or erythrocytes | |
| RFLP | Restriction fragment length polymorphism | |
| RNA | Ribonucleic acid | |
| RPR | Rapid plasma reagin | Nontreponemal test for antibodies developed in response to syphilis infection. |
| SPIA | Solid-phase immunosorbent assay | ELISA test in which the captured antigen or antibody is attached to the inside of a plastic or some other solid support. Allows faster interaction between reactants and more concentrated visual end products than ELISA tests performed in liquid. |
| STD | Sexually transmitted disease | |
| TCBS | Thiosulfate citrate bile salt sucrose agar | |
| Tm | Melting temperature | |
| TPI | Treponema pallidum immobilization test | A test for antibodies against the agent of syphilis that uses live treponemes. |
| TSA | Trypticase soy agar or tryptic soy agar | |
| TSB | Trypticase soy broth or tryptic soy broth | |
| TSI | Triple sugar iron agar | |
| TTA | Transtracheal aspiration | |
| UTI | Urinary tract infection | |
| UV | Ultraviolet | |
| VDRL | Venereal Disease Research Laboratory | Classic nontreponemal serologic test to detect “reaginic” antibodies produced by patients with syphilis. |
| V-P | Voges-Proskauer | |
| WBCs | White blood cells or leukocytes |
