Nutritional Abnormalities in Infectious Diseases

Book excerpt: Listed in the 1997 edition of Doody’s Rating Service: A Buyer’s Guide to the 250 Best Health Sciences Books!Until recently, it had been presumed that chemotherapy was sufficient to control tuberculosis (TB). However, it has been estimated that this disease will claim more than 30 million lives in the coming decade. The emergence of multidrug resistant strains, the lack of patient adherence to therapy, and the resultant growing number of TB cases has made it clear that alternative approaches to fight this disease must be taken. Nutritional Abnormalities in Infectious Diseases: Effects on Tuberculosis and AIDS focuses on nutritional factors in relation to tuberculosis and AIDS to help you better understand and treat these diseases. Health care providers and researchers can refer to this valuable resource to identify the most crucial nutritional determinants involved in the control of TB, outline the nutrient-sensitive host defense mechanisms involved, define the effects of malabsorption and drug-drug interactions, and demonstrate the effects of co-infection with HIV on the incidence of TB.Representing the findings of a symposium held during the 94th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nutritional Abnormalities in Infectious Diseases is the work of several outstanding scientists who were invited to make presentations on selected aspects of nutrition and infectious diseases. They give you valuable information about: the effects of malnutrition on host immune parameters intracellular host defense mechanisms phagocytosis the role of cytokines the immune function vitamin A, zinc, and protein deficiency malnutrition and the developing worldWhile the role of adequate nutrition in maintaining a healthy individual is certainly well-known, the findings in Nutritional Abnormalities in Infectious Diseases uncover the role of nutrition in the progression of tuberculosis and AIDS--a matter of great economic and public health significance. Intended for researchers, practitioners, and health care providers in colleges, universities, and government institutions, this important session was sponsored in part by the Respiratory Disease Branch, Division of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, NIAID.