Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology
Diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, rational antibiotic use and control of hospital-acquired infections.
What is Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology?
Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology deals with illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The department is also responsible for infection control within the hospital and for the correct use of antibiotics.
Using antibiotics unnecessarily makes bacteria resistant to them. Deciding which antibiotic to use, at what dose and for how long is therefore a specialty in its own right.
Which conditions does it cover?
- Prolonged fever of unknown cause
- Respiratory tract infections
- Urinary tract infections
- Skin and soft tissue infections
- Chronic viral hepatitis
- Intestinal infections
- Hospital-acquired infections
- Travel-related infections
Procedures performed
- Investigation of the cause of fever
- Planning of cultures and microbiological tests
- Selecting antibiotic treatment and determining its duration
- Hepatitis screening and follow-up
- Infection control and prevention advice
- Vaccination advice
When should you seek care?
- Fever lasting longer than a week
- Recurrent infections
- Symptoms that persist despite antibiotics
- On learning that you carry hepatitis
- Night sweats and unexplained weight loss
The information on this page is for general guidance only; do not take any medicine, including antibiotics, without consulting a doctor.
