| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| AFB | Acid-fast bacillus |
| AGE | Acute Gastroenteritis |
| AHQR | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US Dept. of Health & Human Services) |
| AI | Artificial intelligence (‘cognitive computing’ , e.g. machine learning via neural networks) |
| AIM | Alliance for Infection Management |
| ALT | Alanine aminotransferase |
| AMEG | Antimicrobial Advice Ad Hoc Expert Group |
| AMR | Antimicrobial Resistance |
| Antibiogram | A hospital antibiogram is a periodic summary of antimicrobial susceptibilities of local bacterial isolates submitted to the hospital’s clinical microbiology laboratory. Often used by clinicians to assess local susceptibility rates, as an aid in selecting empiric antibiotic therapy, and in monitoring resistance trends over time within an institution |
| AP | Acute pyelonephritis |
| APIC | Association for professionals in infection control and epidemiology |
| APUA | Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (Tufts University, USA) |
| ARDS | Acute respiratory distress syndrome |
| ASP | Antibiotic Centre for Primary Care |
| AST | AST is an acronym that stands for two different terms, depending on the context. In a microbiology and clinical setting, it most commonly refers to Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, a laboratory method used to determine which antibiotics will be effective in treating a specific bacterial infection. However, in general medicine, AST can also refer to Aspartate transaminase, an enzyme whose levels are measured in a blood test to assess liver function and health. |
| ATC | Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical |
| ATCvet | Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical veterinary |
| ATU | Area of technical uncertainty |
| AUC | Area under concentration–time curve |
| AWaRe | Access, watch, reserve |