Our goal with Clinical Infectious Disease is to provide to physicians a complete and userfriendly guide to both the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.

The book is divided into 10 sections. First, clinical presentation by organ system provides a traditional anatomic orientation, although within this section additional chapters are devoted to particularly challenging entities that are often difficult to research, such as infectious thyroiditis, deep neck infection, periocular infection, lymphadenopathy, mediastinitis, pacemaker infection, sexually transmitted enteric infection, bursitis, polyarthritis, psoas abscess, splenic abscess, spinal epidural abscess, cerebrospinal shunt infection, myelitis and peripheral neuropathy, and prion disease.

The second section, “The Susceptible Host,” includes individual chapters on a variety of immunocompromised states, including diabetes, transplantation, neutropenia, dialysis, pregnancy, and asplenia. Subsequent entire sections are devoted to HIV, nosocomial infection, surgery and trauma, prophylaxis, travel and recreation, and bioterrorism.

Organism-specific chapters follow, with separate chapters dedicated to individual bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and other pathogens, and then a major section on antimicrobial therapy comprises chapters on principles of antibiotic therapy, antifungal therapy, antiviral therapy, and hypersensitivity to antibiotics. A final chapter lists antimicrobial agents in tabular form, providing a convenient reference for dosage, side effects, cost, pregnancy class, effect of food, and dose adjustment for renal dysfunction. All chapters include suggested readings.