Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Infectious disease, also known as infectiology, is a medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis, control and treatment of infections. An infectious disease specialist's practice may consist largely of managing nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections, or it may be out-patient based. Infectious disease, also known as infectiology, is a medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis, control and treatment of infections. An infectious disease specialist's practice may consist largely of managing nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections, or it may be out-patient based. Infectious diseases specialists typically serve as consultants to other physicians in cases of complex infections, and often manage patients with HIV/AIDS and other forms of Immunodeficiency. Although many common infections are treated by physicians without formal expertise in infectious diseases, specialists may be consulted for cases where an infection is difficult to diagnose. They may also be asked to help determine the cause of a fever of unknown origin. Specialists in infectious diseases can practice both in hospitals (inpatient) and clinics (outpatient). In hospitals, specialists in infectious diseases help ensure the timely diagnosis and treatment of acute infections by recommending the appropriate diagnostic tests to identify the source of the infection and by recommending appropriate antibiotics to treat infection. For certain types of infections, involvement of specialists in infectious diseases may improve patient outcomes. In clinics, specialists in infectious diseases can provide long-term care to patients with chronic infections such as HIV/AIDS. Infectious diseases is historically associated with travel medicine and tropical medicine, as many diseases acquired in tropical and subtropical areas are infectious in nature. Infectious diseases specialists employ a variety of diagnostic tests to help identify the pathogen that is causing an infection. Common tests include Gram staining, blood cultures, serological tests, genotyping, and polymerase chain reaction.