Antimicrobial: The property pertaining to any of several categories of agents that are intended to be toxic to pathogenic organisms, including antibacterials, antiprotozoals, antifungals, and antiparasitics.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Plan: A plan that seeks to prevent wound infection in the first place and promotes ideal antibiotic use in clinically infected patients while also preventing the use of antibiotics in non-infected patients.

Bioburden: Normally defined as the number of bacteria living on a surface that has been sterilized. The term is most often used in the context of bioburden testing, also know as microbial limit testing, which is a quality control test performed on medical devices and pharmaceutical products.

Colonization: Microorganism replication on the surface of a wound without host immune response or invasion into wound tissue.

Hospital-acquired Infection: Infections caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens that are acquired in a hospital setting. The most common types are bloodstream infection, pneumonia (eg, ventilator-associated pneumonia), urinary tract infection, and surgical site infection.

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Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites with an associated host reaction. Signs of infection include redness, tenderness, warmth, odor, erythema, swelling, fever, pain, and increased white blood cells.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): Among the most common antibiotic-resistant bacteria. MRSA often causes hospital-acquired infections. Symptoms begin as small red bumps on the skin that can become pus-filled abscesses or boils.

Microbial Specimen Culture: A culture obtained through curettage or biopsy after cleansing and debridement but before antibiotic therapy has begun. The culture is used to identify pathogens that are present.

Systemic Antibiotic: Antibiotics that are used to treat the whole body and that should be reserved for systemic infections. They are administered either orally or intravenously.

Topical Antibiotics:Antibiotics that are applied to a localized area to combat superficial infection. They have a lower risk than systemic antibiotics, although there is decreased tissue penetration.