{"id":5603,"date":"2019-03-18T14:53:26","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T04:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/tpch\/?page_id=5603"},"modified":"2025-09-05T16:06:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T06:06:55","slug":"infectious-diseases","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/tpch\/careers\/medical-careers\/guide\/medicine-subspecialties\/infectious-diseases","title":{"rendered":"Infectious Diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"

Infectious Diseases<\/h1><\/div>

Specialty of Infectious Diseases<\/h2>\n

Infectious diseases physicians provide a predominantly hospital-based service, specialising in the\u00a0 various clinical, laboratory and public health aspects of infectious disease medicine and microbiology. Infectious diseases physicians have extensive expertise in the diagnosis and management of diseases caused by microbial agents. They are also accustomed to dealing with infectious patients in \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a number of settings, including perioperative, intensive care, and the immunocompromised host. An infectious diseases physician also has expertise in the assessment of non-infective causes of febrile illnesses and other apparent infections.<\/p>\n

Infectious diseases physicians have a key role in the management of acute problems and in long-term chronic care of patients, e.g. those suffering from HIV and chronic hepatitis. In this respect, they focus both on the individual patient and the broader community affected by the various infectious agents. Specialists working within this field tend to have a generalist, rather than an organ system-specific, focus.<\/p>\n

Specialty of microbiology<\/h2>\n

The discipline of microbiology involves the use of laboratory techniques to diagnose infectious diseases, recommend antibiotic therapy, and to advise, correlate, coordinate and educate clinicians regarding aspects of the pathogenesis, epidemiology, prevention and management of infection. Clinical microbiologists work in diagnostic medical and pathology laboratories. Their work focuses on the collection, analysis, reporting and interpretation of results, to aid in the diagnosis, treatment and surveillance of infectious diseases. There are opportunities to carry out research in the subspecialties of bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitology, serology or molecular microbiology.<\/p>\n

Advantages of starting a career at TPCH<\/h2>\n
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There is no disadvantage at selection if one has not completed a rotation in Infectious Diseases<\/i>.<\/p>\n