Issue title: Antimicrobial Policy
Article type: Research Article
Authors: Fauci, Anthony S. | Touchette, Nancy A. | Folkers, Gregory K.
Affiliations: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Note: [] Dr. Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland. At NIAID, Dr. Fauci oversees basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, illness from potential agents of bioterrorism, tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma, and allergies.
Note: [] Corresponding author: N.A. Touchette, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 31, Room 7A05, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Fax: +1 301-496-4409; E-mail: ntouchette@niaid.nih.gov.
Abstract: Although optimists once imagined that serious infectious disease threats would by now be conquered, newly emerging (e.g., severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS]), re-emerging (e.g., West Nile virus), and even deliberately disseminated infectious diseases (e.g., anthrax bioterrorism) continue to appear throughout the world. Over the past decade, the global effort to identify and characterize infectious agents, decipher the underlying pathways by which they cause disease, and develop preventive measures and treatments for many of the world's most dangerous pathogens has resulted in considerable progress. Intramural and extramural investigators supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have contributed substantially to this effort. This overview highlights selected NIAID-sponsored research advances over the past decade, with a focus on progress in combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, influenza, SARS, West Nile virus, and potential bioterror agents. Many basic research discoveries have been translated into novel diagnostics, antiviral and antimicrobial compounds, and vaccines, often with extraordinary speed.
Keywords: Infectious disease, drug resistance, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, influenza, SARS, West Nile virus, bioterrorrism
Journal: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 17, no. 3-4, pp. 157-167, 2005
