Humana Opportunistic Infections: Treatment and Prophylaxis (Infectious Disease)

The major goal of Opportunistic Infections: Treatment and Prophylaxis is to guide cli- cians who provide care for patients suffering from an underlying immunodeficiency that may significantly weaken their immune defenses and will complicate the effective treatment of opportunistic infections. In spite of a wealth of isolated data, no single text exists in which all the essential information about various infectious opportunistic infections. Although I make no claim to completeness, it is my hope that the present book will fulfill that need. To achieve this goal, I have endeavored to integrate both results from large-scale clinical trials and trials involving small numbers of patients, as well as reports of single cases―mindful that such an approach has its limitations. Opportunistic Infections: Treatment and Prophylaxis is organized into four major parts: bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal diseases affecting the immunocompromised population. Each part surveys individual infections caused not only by well-known etiologic agents, but also by new and emerging species often taxonomically closely related to a major disea- producing microorganism and until recently not considered to be human pathogens (Candida spp. and nontuberculous mycobacteria, for example). For the sake of uniformity, within each part, the species have been arranged according to their taxonomic characteristics. From the Back Cover The complex problems of opportunistic infections in patients suffering from an underlying immunodeficiency is a significant medical issue and calls for a concise, yet comprehensive, resource to present the essential information that clinicians require to provide effective medical care. In Opportunistic Infections: Treatment and Prophylaxis, Vassil St. Georgiev surveys the current status of all the major bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal infections affecting the immunocompromised population, as well as the anti-infective agents available to treat and prevent them. The author covers individual infections caused not only by well-known etiologic agents, but also by new and emerging species often closely related taxonomically to a major disease-producing microorganism and until recently not considered a human pathogen (e.g., Candida spp. and nontuberculous mycobacteria). The information presented includes data from large well-planned clinical trials, as well as reports of cases involving individuals and small numbers of patients. The latter highlight therapeutic possibilities that may otherwise go unnoticed in clinical practice or in drug research and development. Numerous examples are given of particular treatment regimens for opportunistic infections based on underlying immunologic deficiencies. Comprehensive and up-to-date, Opportunistic Infections: Treatment and Prophylaxis organizes the wealth of information found in the medical and scientific literature and illuminates those areas of drug development and treatment that, though still not well understood, are crucial to effective patient management, infection prevention, and the development of new therapeutic modalities against infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients.