The Changing Paradigm in Infectious Diseases—Host-Directed Medicine: Implications for the Next Generation of ID Physicians

Abstract

The engagement of medical trainees to the field of infectious diseases has waned over recent years. While the reasons for this decline are multifactorial, one prominent concern is the perception that infectious disease specialists serve merely as gatekeepers of antibiotics. In this forward-looking perspective, we discuss a new paradigm for infectious diseases—host-directed therapies. Supported by the discovery of the mechanism of disease in many infectious diseases, coupled with the ever-expanding armamentarium of immune modulators, we envision that infectious disease physicians will soon be delivering immunotherapy coupled with antimicrobials to achieve cures that were previously impossible.