Question 1: Do numbers of bacteria arriving in the surgical wound correlate directly with the probability of surgical site infection (SSI)?Consensus: We recognize that the probability of SSI correlates directly with the quantity of bacteria that reach the wound. Accordingly we support strategies to lower particulate and bacterial counts at surgical wounds.Delegate Vote: Agree: 97%, Disagree: 2%, Abstain: 1% (Strong Consensus)Justification: Postoperative SSIs are believed to occur via bacterial inoculation at the time of surgery or as a result of bacterial contamination of the wound via open pathways to the deep tissue layers.