The subject matter of this volume, the basis for which was a conference held in Philadelphia which focused on the subject of infections, including their diagnosis and treatment, in immunocompromised individuals. The material is of particular importance today when placed against the background of the rapid spread of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The first section dealt with the general subject of the immunocompromised host. Here, reviewed in detail, were the epidemiological and clinical aspects of opportunistic infections in patients with defective immune responses. It is widely acknowledged that infections are a major complication of the neoplastic process. Cancer-bearing patients are more prone to certain kinds of infectious and cancer chemotherapy almost always increases susceptibility to such infections. Depending upon the basic disease process of the cancer, a specific array of infectious diseases can be predicted. Patients altered in thymus-derived lymphocyte populations or mononuclear phagocyte capabilities resulting in defects in cell mediated immunity or delayed hypersensitivity become highly susceptible to certain groups of organisms, whereas, profoundly neutropenic patients usually become infected with different organisms. The types of infections noted are relatively predictable for the type of immune defect, with some variations according to epidemiological factors. Major advances have been made in the early diagnosis and treatment of infectious complications with increasingly effective antimicrobial agents and increasing knowledge of their use. The application of so-called preventive procedures has had limited value to date, including immunotherapy, which appears to hold much promise.
Editors and Affiliations
Smith Kline and French Laboratories, Philadelphia, USA
Paul Actor
Cooper Hospital, University Medical Center, Camden, USA
Alan Evangelista
Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, USA
James Poupard
Rolling Hill Hospital, Elkins Park, USA
Eileen Hinks
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Infections in the Immunocompromised Host
Book Subtitle: Laboratory Diagnosis and Treatment
Editors: Paul Actor, Alan Evangelista, James Poupard, Eileen Hinks
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 1986
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4684-1261-1Published: 25 November 2012
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4684-1259-8Published: 06 December 2012
