文档介绍：New and Emerging Infectious Diseases
Preface
Mary Elizabeth Wilson, MD, FACP, FIDSA
Guest Editor
Infectious diseases are changing in ways that are unprecedented in scope and scale.
The dynamic nature of infectious diseases has e increasingly evident in recent
years, because of the appearance of new infectious diseases, the recognition of pre-
viously unidentified pathogens, the resurgence and change in the distribution of well
characterized diseases, changes in resistance patterns (almost always involving in-
creased resistance) of microbes to antimicrobial agents, and, in some instances, the
appearance of more virulent forms of ,2 These infections affect people,
plants, and animals; the e from all classes anisms—bacteria, vi-
ruses, fungi, protozoa, and helminths. Changes are occurring in all regions of the world
and are not restricted to pathogens that are spread from person to person; they also
involve pathogens with other mechanisms of transmission.
Many broad factors are contributing to the global changes in infectious ,3
Multiple factors contribute to each emerging infection, which is described clearly in
many of the articles in this issue. Emergence of an infectious disease is -
plex. For example, one cannot single out just one factor that led to the appearance and
rapid broad spread of West Nile virus infections in the United States and in the Amer-
icas. plexity of the contributing factors also makes it difficult to anticipate and
predict where and when new microbial threats will emerge. A single simple intervention
usually will not suffice for prevention.
Socioeconomic, political, demographic, and environmental changes are among the
many factors involved in the emergence of new microbial ,2 Many infectious
diseases (or their vectors or intermediate hosts) are sensitive to temperature, humidity,
and climatic factors, so they potentially can be influenced by global climate change.
Land use and alter