Book excerpt: This issue on Diagnostic Testing for Enteric Patholgens is led by two experts in the field of clinical pathology: Alexander J. McAdam and Collette Fitzgerald. Topics include Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia; Escherichia coli; Campylobacter; Clostridium difficile; Use of markers of intestinal inflammation for diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis; Antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacteria that cause gastroenteritis; Norovirus; Rotavirus; Intestinal Abebae; Intestinal coccidia and cryptosporidium; Intestinal microsporidia; and Multiplex PCR tests for gastroentieritis. An added features of this issues a Q and A on a controversial area in clinical microbiology, related to STI testing. Several participants from different fields each answer the same series of questions; specialists from clinical laboratory medicine, public health and clinical patient care participate. Each question is introduced by the lead Editors.