Infectious Disease

Infectious disease (also known as ID) is a medical sub-specialty of internal medicine regarding the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Physicians practicing this specialty are known as infectious disease specialists.

Infectious disease specialist has expertise in infections affecting the sinuses, heart, brain, lungs, urinary tract, bowel, bones, and pelvic organs. They also possess extensive knowledge in infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

While most infections can be treated by internist, ID specialists focus on diseases that has not been definitively diagnosed during a patient's initial workup, diseases when the patient's immune system is compromised, when the infectious agent is of an uncommon nature such as tropical diseases, when a disease does not initially respond to antibiotics, and/or when he disease might be dangerous to other patients, and the patient might have to be isolated.

Notable Infection Disease Specialists

 * Dr. Pete Wilder (Infectious Disease Specialist at Oceanside Wellness Group)

Notes and Trivia

 * Seattle Grace Hospital has an Infectious Disease Department shown in season two.
 * In season one of Private Practice, Pete's character was not yet revealed to be an ID specialist, which explains why he and Dell were searching for ID specialists during the events of In Which Cooper Finds a Port in His Storm.