We are pleased to bring to our readership the contents of a symposium on nosocomial colonization held on January 14-16, 1994, in Clearwater, Florida, under the aegis of the University of South Florida College of Medicine and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

The symposium was developed with the following goals: (1) to provide an up-to-date over view of the factors important in microbial colonization of human nonsterile surfaces or tissues, especially skin, nose, oropharynx, and gastrointestinal tract; (2) to provide an understanding of the impact of colonization upon the development of nosocomial infections; and (3) to provide an appreciation of how to control or manage colonization to prevent nosocomial infections.