diff --git a/samtools.cabal b/samtools.cabal
--- a/samtools.cabal
+++ b/samtools.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:                samtools
-Version:             0.2.1.2
+Version:             0.2.2
 Synopsis:            Binding to the C samtools library
 Description:         Binding to the C samtools library, which reads and
                      writes SAM format alignments, both binary and tab-
diff --git a/src/Bio/SamTools/Bam.hs b/src/Bio/SamTools/Bam.hs
--- a/src/Bio/SamTools/Bam.hs
+++ b/src/Bio/SamTools/Bam.hs
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
   , cigars, queryName, queryLength, querySeq, queryQual
   , mateTargetID, mateTargetName, mateTargetLen, matePosition, insertSize
     
-  , nMismatch, nHits, matchDesc                                                               
+  , nMismatch, nHits, matchDesc, auxGeti, auxGetf, auxGetd, auxGetA, auxGetZ, auxGet
                                                                
   , refSpLoc, refSeqLoc
                       
@@ -220,38 +220,93 @@
   where fromISize cis | cis < 1 = Nothing
                       | otherwise = Just $! fromIntegral cis
 
--- | 'Just' the match descriptor alignment field, or 'Nothing' when it
+-- | 'Just' the requested integer auxiliary field, or 'Nothing' when it
 -- is absent
-matchDesc :: Bam1 -> Maybe BS.ByteString
-matchDesc b = Unsafe.unsafePerformIO $ withForeignPtr (ptrBam1 b) $ \p ->
-  withCAString "MD" $ \mdstr -> 
-  do md <- bamAuxGet p mdstr
-     if md == nullPtr
+auxGeti :: Bam1 -> String -> Maybe Int
+auxGeti b str = Unsafe.unsafePerformIO $ withForeignPtr (ptrBam1 b) $ \p ->
+  withCAString str $ \valstr ->
+  do val <- bamAuxGet p valstr
+     if val == nullPtr
         then return Nothing
-        else do cstr <- bamAux2Z md
+        else liftM Just $! liftM fromIntegral $! bamAux2i val
+
+-- | 'Just' the requested single-precision float auxiliary field, or 'Nothing' when it
+-- is absent
+auxGetf :: Bam1 -> String -> Maybe Float
+auxGetf b str = Unsafe.unsafePerformIO $ withForeignPtr (ptrBam1 b) $ \p ->
+  withCAString str $ \valstr ->
+  do val <- bamAuxGet p valstr
+     if val == nullPtr
+        then return Nothing
+        else liftM Just $! liftM realToFrac $! bamAux2f val
+
+-- | 'Just' the requested double-precision float auxiliary field, or 'Nothing' when it
+-- is absent
+auxGetd :: Bam1 -> String -> Maybe Double
+auxGetd b str = Unsafe.unsafePerformIO $ withForeignPtr (ptrBam1 b) $ \p ->
+  withCAString str $ \valstr ->
+  do val <- bamAuxGet p valstr
+     if val == nullPtr
+        then return Nothing
+        else liftM Just $! liftM realToFrac $! bamAux2d val
+
+-- | 'Just' the requested character auxiliary field, or 'Nothing' when it
+-- is absent
+auxGetA :: Bam1 -> String -> Maybe Char
+auxGetA b str = Unsafe.unsafePerformIO $ withForeignPtr (ptrBam1 b) $ \p ->
+  withCAString str $ \valstr ->
+  do val <- bamAuxGet p valstr
+     if val == nullPtr
+        then return Nothing
+        else liftM Just $! liftM castCCharToChar $! bamAux2A val
+
+-- | 'Just' the requested string auxiliary field, or 'Nothing' when it
+-- is absent
+auxGetZ :: Bam1 -> String -> Maybe BS.ByteString
+auxGetZ b str = Unsafe.unsafePerformIO $ withForeignPtr (ptrBam1 b) $ \p ->
+  withCAString str $ \valstr -> 
+  do val <- bamAuxGet p valstr
+     if val == nullPtr
+        then return Nothing
+        else do cstr <- bamAux2Z val
                 if cstr == nullPtr
                    then return Nothing
                    else liftM Just . BS.packCString $ cstr
 
+-- | 'Just' the requested auxiliary field, or 'Nothing' when it
+-- is absent
+class AuxGet a where
+  auxGet :: Bam1 -> String -> Maybe a
+ 
+instance AuxGet Int where
+  auxGet b str = auxGeti b str
+
+instance AuxGet Float where
+  auxGet b str = auxGetf b str
+ 
+instance AuxGet Double where
+  auxGet b str = auxGetd b str
+
+instance AuxGet Char where
+  auxGet b str = auxGetA b str
+
+instance AuxGet BS.ByteString where
+  auxGet b str = auxGetZ b str
+
+-- | 'Just' the match descriptor alignment field, or 'Nothing' when it
+-- is absent
+matchDesc :: Bam1 -> Maybe BS.ByteString
+matchDesc b = auxGetZ b "MD"
+
 -- | 'Just' the number of reported alignments, or 'Nothing' when this
 -- information is not present.
 nHits :: Bam1 -> Maybe Int
-nHits b = Unsafe.unsafePerformIO $ withForeignPtr (ptrBam1 b) $ \p ->
-  withCAString "NH" $ \nhstr ->
-  do nh <- bamAuxGet p nhstr
-     if nh == nullPtr
-        then return Nothing
-        else liftM Just $! liftM fromIntegral $! bamAux2i nh
+nHits b = auxGeti b "NH"
 
 -- | 'Just' the number of mismatches in the alignemnt, or 'Nothing'
 -- when this information is not present
 nMismatch :: Bam1 -> Maybe Int
-nMismatch b = Unsafe.unsafePerformIO $ withForeignPtr (ptrBam1 b) $ \p ->
-  withCAString "NM" $ \nmstr ->
-  do nm <- bamAuxGet p nmstr
-     if nm == nullPtr
-        then return Nothing
-        else liftM Just $! liftM fromIntegral $! bamAux2i nm
+nMismatch b = auxGeti b "NM"
 
 -- | 'Just' the reference sequence location covered by the
 -- alignment. This includes nucleotide positions that are reported to
diff --git a/src/Bio/SamTools/LowLevel.chs b/src/Bio/SamTools/LowLevel.chs
--- a/src/Bio/SamTools/LowLevel.chs
+++ b/src/Bio/SamTools/LowLevel.chs
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
                              , getTID, getPos, getFlag, getNCigar, getLQSeq, getMTID, getMPos, getISize
                              , bam1Strand, bam1MStrand, bam1Cigar, bam1QName, bam1Seq, bam1Qual, bam1Seqi
                                                                                                                              
-                             , bamAuxGet, bamAux2Z, bamAux2i --, bamAux2f, bamAux2d, bamAux2A
+                             , bamAuxGet, bamAux2Z, bamAux2i, bamAux2f, bamAux2d, bamAux2A
                                                                                                  
                              , bamInit1, bamDestroy1, bamDestroy1Ptr, bamDup1, bamFormat1
                              
@@ -50,6 +50,13 @@
 
 #undef __BLOCKS__
 
+#ifdef __APPLE__ 
+#define _ANSI_SOURCE
+#define __AVAILABILITY__
+#define __OSX_AVAILABLE_STARTING(_mac, _iphone)
+#define __OSX_AVAILABLE_BUT_DEPRECATED(_macIntro, _macDep, _iphoneIntro, _iphoneDep) 
+#endif
+
 #include "faidx.h"
 #include "sam.h"
 #include "samtools.h"
@@ -262,6 +269,15 @@
 
 {#fun unsafe bam_aux2i as bamAux2i
   { id `Ptr CUChar' } -> `CInt' id#}
+
+{#fun unsafe bam_aux2f as bamAux2f
+  { id `Ptr CUChar' } -> `CFloat' id#}
+
+{#fun unsafe bam_aux2d as bamAux2d
+  { id `Ptr CUChar' } -> `CDouble' id#}
+
+{#fun unsafe bam_aux2A as bamAux2A
+  { id `Ptr CUChar' } -> `CChar' id#}
 
 {#fun unsafe bam_init1_ as bamInit1
   { } -> `Bam1Ptr' id#}