Infectious diseases

Infectious diseases

Dermatol Clin 21 (2003) xi – xii Preface Infectious diseases Ted Rosen, MD Guest Editor This plague has come upon us by infection, and it will spr...

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Dermatol Clin 21 (2003) xi – xii

Preface

Infectious diseases

Ted Rosen, MD Guest Editor

This plague has come upon us by infection, and it will spread still further, just as in the fields the scab of one sheep or the mange of one pig, destroys the entire herd. —Juvenal, from Satires, II.78, c. 120 A.D. You never win because microbes are part of nature. They will constantly emerge. If we come to terms with that and if we are smart and quick. . .we’ll be ahead of them. —Dr. Mike Ryan

In the nearly 1900 years that elapsed between the time of the Roman satirist and poet, Juvenal, and the current era, mankind has remained at constant risk from infectious diseases. The virtual planetary eradication of smallpox has proven the potential power rational beings can have over nature. By contrast, the relatively recent emergence of the Human Immunodeficiency and Ebola viruses and the development of resistance to routine treatments (now manifested by lowly head lice) demonstrate the never-ending capacity of microbes to maintain the upper hand in this epic struggle. In this issue of Dermatologic Clinics I have used my position as guest editor to select topics that highlight this constant battle between nature and

mankind. The ability of unusual organisms such as Vibrio species from sea water, achloric algae from stagnant fresh water, tick-borne microbes, and saprophytic fungi from soil to act as human pathogens is discussed herein. The increasingly commonplace practice of keeping exotic animals as household pets also has led to the real probability of acquiring cutaneous and systemic disease. This subject is explored in depth with an emphasis on the most common unusual pets (hedgehog, chinchilla, iguana, flying squirrel, and cockatoo). Industrious and energetic pharmaceutical researchers have created new drugs to combat disease. Cidofovir, ivermectin, albendazole, imiquimod, and various vaccine products are such medications, all of which are summarized in this issue. New drugs explored include agents designed to counter primarily viral and parasitic diseases. The host of choices awaiting the practitioner confronted with acyclovirresistant herpetic infection is outlined along with some of the more promising anti-herpetic drugs of the future that are not yet commercially available. The expanding role of simple and complex cutaneous surgery performed by dermatologists has added yet another dimension to the potential for infectious

0733-8635/03/$ – see front matter D 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0733-8635(02)00091-8

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T. Rosen / Dermatol Clin 21 (2003) xi–xii

disease. This issue addresses wound infections and the somewhat controversial role of antibiotic prophylaxis associated with dermatologic surgery. The fact that Bacillus anthracis recently was used as a weapon of bioterrorism, and that the correct diagnosis was made by a dermatologist, underscores the necessity for all health care providers—including those of us who practice cutaneous medicine—to have a broad depth of knowledge regarding infectious

diseases. I hope this issue will fill in gaps in the readers’ information base. Ted Rosen, MD Department of Dermatology Baylor College of Medicine Houston VA Medical Center Houston, TX, USA E-mail address: [email protected]