Clinical microbiology testing is undergoing numerous changes that have the potential to improve patient care. In this session, new clinical microbiology diagnostics will be overviewed. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry is used to rapidly, inexpensively and accurately identify bacteria and fungi grown in culture. Laboratory automation, including automated specimen processing, plate incubation, plate reading and colony handling for identification and susceptibility testing, is increasingly being adopted. Molecular diagnostics, originally introduced two decades ago, are being streamlined, automated and offered as point-of-care as well as easy-to-use panel tests. Molecular diagnostics are also being applied to detection of antibacterial resistance. At the same time, rapid phenotypic susceptibility testing methods are becoming available to meet clinical needs in scenarios where molecular diagnostics are insufficient. Finally, broad range agnostic approaches for microbial detection, including metagenomic shotgun sequencing, are emerging as promising tools for use in challenging infection cases.