About the Society

Origin: The medically qualified Microbiologists in Trivandrum , Kerala, India met in the Department of Microbiology, Medical College, Trivandrum on 15-12-1995. There were 18 participants. Dr. Mabel Legori, Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology, welcomed the gathering and suggested the need for an association or an academic body to be formed to bring out changes in the nature of Microbiology Laboratory Service.
Monthly meetings were held and the draft byelaw was presented by Dr. Mabel Legori at the 4th meeting on 1st March 1996. It was decided to have a journal for the Academy and the name “The Journal of the Academy of Clinical Microbiologists” (JACM) was approved at the meeting on 7th July 1996. The emblem was presented at this meeting and was also approved.
Registration as an association: The Academy of Clinical Microbiologists was registered as a Charitable Society at the Registrar’s Office, Trivandrum on 24th July 1996 (Reg. No. 668). The formal inauguration took place on 12th August 1996 at the Silver Jubilee Auditorium, Medical College, Trivandrum. The first issue of the JACM came out in June 1997. Since then a total of 38 issues of the journal have been published. Since 2013, the journal is online and published by Wolter-Kluwer, Medknow.
Main Objectives as described in the ACM Bye-Law are:

1. To Practise Clinical Microbiology through quick and reliable reporting, monitoring antibiotic use and control of infections (Community, Hospital and Laboratory Acquired Infections).
2. To undertake organization of Laboratory Services.
3. To undertake research and publish the results of such research.
4. To organize further instruction and training in Clinical Microbiology.
5. To arrange refresher and advance courses in the laboratory control of infections.
6. To update Medical curriculum, publish books for Medical and Para Medical teaching and release Newsletters and periodicals as and when necessary

Present status: Till date there are 315 life members from all over India with a few members from outside India. Eligibility for life membership is a basic Medical degree(MBBS) with specialisation in Microbiology(MD). Those pursuing MD in Microbiology, can become Associate members, for one year.
The ACM conducts 2 CMEs every year, one national conference every three years and releases 2 issues of the Journal of Academy of Clinical Microbiologists yearly.
The ACM is committed to propagate the concept of practice of clinical microbiology. ACM Oration is delivered by an eminent member on the day of the Triennial Conference .
Till date, 7 Triennial Conferences have been conducted . One CME Programme was conducted outside India, in Leeds, UK in 2007.
In 2016, ACM was part of the initiative by the State Health Department to compile an Antibiotic Policy for the state of Kerala, in India.
The last Conference was in August 2017, when the new Office bearers were elected.
The Association has a website: www.clinicalmicrobio.org where all details about the activities are updated regularly. There is also learning material in the form of PPT and manuals. All details of office bearers are available here.

About the Journal

Journal of The Academy of Clinical Microbiologists, a publication of Academy of Clinical Microbiologists, is a peer-reviewed online journal with Semiannual print compilation of issues published. The journal’s full text is available online at http://www.jacmjournal.org. The journal allows free access (Open Access) to its contents and permits authors to self-archive final accepted version of the articles on any OAI-compliant institutional / subject-based repository. The journal does not charge for submission, processing or publication of manuscripts and even for color reproduction of photographs. 

Abstracting and Indexing Information

The journal is registered with the following abstracting partners:
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The journal is indexed with, or included in, the following:
Indian Science Abstracts

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The Journal of Academy of Clinical Microbiologists is published twice a year to promote publication of original communication in all aspects contributing to the advancement of knowledge in Clinical Microbiology, Medical Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Infection control and their prevention. The Journal permits publication on medical education related to Microbiology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, epidemiological investigations, innovations in techniques and work in diagnosis and control of infectious diseases. Case reports/clinical problems with and without references are welcome. Readers are requested to write their comments on papers published in the journal in the form of letters to the editor. Short communications with important findings will be given priority. Those who wish to contribute review articles may write to the Editor as the reviews are usually written on invitation. All manuscripts submitted for publication are subjected to scrutiny by Editorial board and are accepted subject to editorial changes.

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