Mayo Clinic Infectious Diseases Board Review

While infections have always played an important role in the history of mankind, advances in science and technology as well as rapid globalization have resulted in an unprecedented wave of new and old infections thrust into the limelight. The recent pandemic of H1N1 influenza virus infection demonstrates the recurrent theme of emerging and reemerging pathogens that continue to impact public health and patient care areas. Drug resistance among various organisms (not limited to bacteria) has unfortunately become the expectation and, not infrequently, we have been left with few or no efficacious treatment options, an experience not witnessed in more than 7 decades. Human immunodeficiency virus infection continues to challenge our abilities to provide the desired level of care in most areas of the world. Novel syndromes of infection continue to be defined as newer forms of immunosuppression and the development of unique medical devices become standard practice in all areas of medicine and surgery. For trainees and practitioners in the field of infectious diseases today, these factors mandate intense study to establish an expertise in the field that is required to provide best practices now and beyond. This board review will be pivotal in that education. This book is designed and intended primarily for infectious diseases trainees and practitioners preparing for the infectious disease subspecialty examination of the American Board of Internal Medicine. We believe that this book will also be useful to infectious diseases practitioners as well as general internists and other clinicians who desire a comprehensive but practical overview of contemporary infectious diseases topics.