Infectious Diseases

Organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites foreign to the human body cause infectious diseases. Infectious diseases vary in severity from mild to life threatening. Examples of infectious diseases are the

common cold

,

measles

,

strep throat

and

meningitis

. Treatment will vary on the type of pathogen that is causing the disease.

Infectious disease physicians

have trained specifically to diagnose and treat patients with diseases including HIV, travel associated infections such as

malaria

, or infections post surgery. Physicians work with

microbiologists

and

virologists

to determine the cause of infection in patients.