Anthrax to zoonotic disease: Challenges of infectious disease specialists
Never in his wildest dreams did
Martin Topiel, MD, director of infection control at Virtua Health, think he'd be battling anthrax and standing at the epicenter of a worldwide fight against bioterrorism. But that's exactly what happened when Norma Wallace walked into Virtua Memorial Hospital last October with a suspected case of inhalation anthrax.
Attacking anthrax
Life after anthrax
Protecting the health of employees, patients and visitors
Attacking anthrax
"During medical school, I had learned about anthrax in textbooks and journals, but clinical experience was relatively nonexistent because of the low incidence," says Dr. Topiel. "The key to diagnosing and treating such a unique case was first to understand the pathology - the nuts and bolts of how the disease works - and what we were up against. Whether it's routine pneumonia or anthrax, it all comes down to understanding the basics of the bacterial mechanism. In an unusual case like anthrax, I went back to my training and education. I used the Internet to track down evidence-based clinical literature, and consulted with colleagues and experts around the world. I was fighting for my patient's life."
And, he triumphantly won the battle only 18 days later when Wallace was discharged from the hospital.
Life after anthrax
Dr. Topiel doesn't fight anthrax everyday. He, like other infectious disease specialists, is a sleuth, fitting together the pieces of a biological puzzle to diagnose and treat garden variety as well as some exotic and dangerous diseases. More common ailments include Lyme disease; tick infections (babesiosis); influenza, chronic or unexplained fevers; HIV/AIDS; pneumonia, tuberculosis and rotavirus. However, with the increase and ease of international travel, some bizarre diseases have found their way into local hospitals. Specialists are now diagnosing malaria, Ebola and the West Nile virus across the United Sates, ailments once found only in more remote parts of the world. Because of this, Dr. Topiel recommends that people traveling abroad consult with an infectious disease specialist about appropriate immunizations.
Protecting the health of employees, patients and visitors
In everyday hospital life, infectious disease specialists are also responsible for protecting every person who comes through a hospital: patients, employees and visitors alike. This means taking proactive means to prevent the spread of bacteria and infections as well as helping to establish and enhance hospital infection control programs and guidelines.
In a hospital, it's important to know what diseases are truly infectious in order to take necessary precautions. An infection or illness caused by bacteria or a virus is considered "contagious" when it can be passed from person to person such as the common cold; or is transmitted by blood or body fluids like HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Healthcare staff, patients and visitors follow strict measures to prevent infections from spreading with standard precautions such as wearing protective barriers like gloves, gowns or masks. And, professionals ranging from engineers to housekeepers continuously monitor the physical environment.
According to Dr. Topiel, hand washing is still the single most important way to prevent the spread of infection. So mom was right on that one.
Dr. Topiel was not surprised by the recent bioterrorist attacks. "As our world continues to shrink and the technology of producing man-made infections like anthrax grows, it was only a matter of time before terrifying new challenges would face us. We must stay on our toes at all times, working together to investigate, prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases to set the standard for patient care."
*Zoonotic disease are those spread from animals to humans