The Medical clinics of North America
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The development of an infection involves interplay between the host's immune system and the virulence of the infecting microorganism. The traditional treatment of an infection involves antimicrobial chemotherapy to kill the organism. The use of immunotherapies in infections includes treatment options that modulate the immune response and can lead to control of infections. These therapies are expected to become more important therapeutic options with the increase in infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms and the increasing number of immunocompromised patients.
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The 2 most commonly encountered primary immunodeficiency syndromes in adult practice are antibody deficiency disorders and hereditary angioedema. Immunologic therapy for these disorders has significantly improved patient management. ⋯ Treatment of these complications with monoclonal antibody therapy seems promising and is likely to increase in the future. More recently,several additional agents have become available, including novel drugs targeted at different elements of the disease process.