Glossary
Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs): A core component of CDC’s Emerging
Infections Programs network (EIP), a collaboration between CDC, state health
departments, and universities. ABCs is an active laboratory- and population-based
surveillance system that tracks invasive bacterial pathogens of public health
importance. It currently operates among 10 EIP sites across the United States,
representing a population of approximately 41 million persons. At this time, ABCs
conducts surveillance for six pathogens: group A and group B Streptococcus (GAS,
GBS), Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Adverse drug event: When therapeutic drugs (example, antibiotics) have harmful
effects; when someone has been harmed by a medication.
Aminoglycoside: A type of antibiotic that destroys the functioning of gram-negative
bacteria. Increased resistance to aminoglycosides has made them less useful.
Antibiotic: Type of medicine made from mold or bacteria that kills or slows the growth
of other bacteria. Examples include penicillin and streptomycin.
Antibiotic class: A grouping of antibiotics that are similar in how they work and how
they are made.
Antibiotic growth promotion: Giving farm animals antibiotics to increase their size in
order to produce and sell more meat.
Antibiotic resistance: The result of bacteria changing in ways that reduce or eliminate
the effectiveness of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is one type of antimicrobial
resistance.
Antibiotic stewardship: Coordinated efforts and programs to improve the use of
antimicrobials. For example, facilities with antibiotic stewardship programs have made
a commitment to always use antibiotics appropriately and safely—only when they are
needed to prevent or treat disease, and to choose the right antibiotics and to administer
them in the right way in every case.
Antimicrobial: A general term for the drugs, chemicals, or other substances that either
kill or slow the growth of microorganisms. Among the antimicrobial agents in use
today are antibacterial drugs (which kill bacteria), antiviral agents (which kill viruses),
antifungal agents (which kill fungi), and antiparisitic drugs (which kill parasites).
Antimicrobial resistance: The result of microorganisms changing in ways that reduce or
eliminate the effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other agents used to cure or prevent