Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Pediatric infectious diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites spreading illness from person to person. Many once-deadly infectious diseases can now be prevented by vaccination or treated effectively with antibiotics or antiviral drugs. But infectious diseases persist because microorganisms continue to evolve and because people with weakened immune systems remain vulnerable to infection. The convenience and speed of modern travel also give hitchhiking microbes new opportunities to infect people around the world.

Pediatric infectious disease specialists at Corewell Health Children's have convenient access to microbiology laboratory and radiology services, making diagnostic testing faster and easier for patients. They can also draw on the expertise of the many other Corewell Health Children's Hospital pediatric experts, who are trained in more than 80 medical and surgical disciplines.

Corewell Health pediatric infectious disease doctors specialize in diagnosing illnesses of unclear causes and treating difficult infections, including:

• Abdominal abscesses
• Bone and joint infections
• Central nervous system infections
• Complicated lung infections
• Complicated urinary tract infections
• HIV
• Infections related to cancer, HIV, and immune deficiencies
• MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
• Travel-related infections, such as malaria or other parasitic infections
• Fever of unknown origin

Patients can expect to be treated respectfully, with an emphasis on constant communication with the patient's primary care physician and their family.