Introduction Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the United States has evolved over the past three decades from an untreatable illness that predictably led to death to a chronic disease…

What Is Bacteremia? Human blood is supposed to be a sterile environment. Bacteremia is defined as the presence and detection of bacteria in blood. The body has several defense mechanisms…

Introduction Vector-borne infections include diseases caused by diverse pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites) that are transmitted to humans by a variety of vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes, lice, tsetse flies, sandflies,…

Infectious Arthritis Infectious arthritis is defined as infection of one or more joints. It can be caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Acute Bacterial Arthritis Introduction Native joint septic…

A diagnostic hypothesis for a suspected central nervous system (CNS) infection has two components: an anatomic and a microbiologic or etiologic diagnosis. The anatomic diagnosis localizes the inflammation to a…

Introduction Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are among the most commonly occurring bacterial infections, and their frequency approaches 10% of hospital admissions for infections in the United States. Many…

Overview Generalized rashes with fever are among the most frequent conditions seen by primary care physicians, and are a common reason for patient visits to the emergency department and dermatologists….

Esophagitis Esophagitis is an inflammatory mucosal injury disorder that may be caused by infectious agents and local irritants. The inflammation may present with substernal pain, odynophagia, and occasionally dysphagia. The…