Curriculum standards
Curriculum standards
Completion requirements
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Advanced Training in Infectious Diseases
Knowledge guides
LG13: Key infectious diseases and syndromes
Key presentations and conditions
Advanced Trainees will have a comprehensive depth of knowledge of these presentations and conditions.
Epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical sciences
Advanced Trainees will have a comprehensive depth of knowledge of the principles of the foundational sciences.
Investigations, procedures, and clinical assessment tools
Advanced Trainees will know the scientific foundation of each investigation and procedure, including relevant anatomy and physiology. They will be able to interpret the reported results of each investigation or procedure.
Advanced Trainees will know how to explain the investigation or procedure to patients, families, and carers, and be able to explain procedural risk and obtain informed consent where applicable.
Important specific issues
Advanced Trainees will identify important specialty-specific issues and the impact of these on diagnosis and management and integrate these into care.
Presentations
- Febrile illness:
- acute
- associated with:
- arthritis
- rash
- periodic
- without focus (unknown origin)
- In immunosuppressed hosts, with:
- blunted or atypical clinical features
- fever
- risk of infection reactivation
- spectrum of pathogens they are susceptible to
- timing of diseases onset
- Paradoxical reactions in the setting of immune reconstitution
- Returned traveller:
- fever
- timing of exposure
- Sepsis / Septic shock
Bloodstream infections
- Including those caused by:
- enterococci
- gram-negative bacteria
- Staphylococcus aureus
- streptococci
- yeasts
Cardiovascular conditions
- Device-related, such as:
- implantable devices
- Endarteritis
- Infective endocarditis
- Myocarditis
- Pericarditis
- Rheumatic fever
- Vascular foreign body infections, such as:
- vascular graft infection
- Vasculitis
Central nervous system conditions
- Abscess:
- cerebral
- epidural
- Encephalitis:
- acute
- chronic
- Guillain–Barre syndrome
- Infections associated with prosthetic materials, such as:
- ventriculoperitoneal shunts
- Meningitis, such as:
- aseptic
- bacterial
- fungal
- healthcare-associated / post-operative
- parasitic
- post-traumatic
- tuberculous
- Myopathy with infectious causes
Emerging and remerging pathogens, such as flavivirus
Exposure to biowarfare agents, such as anthrax
Gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, and intra-abdominal conditions
- Abscess:
- intra-abdominal
- liver:
- amoebiasis
- pyogenic
- Cholangitis
- Colitis / Enteritis, infectious
- Helicobacter pylori
- Hepatitis, viral
- Peritonitis:
- appendicitis
- catheter-related
- spontaneous
Head and neck conditions
- Cellulitis:
- orbital
- post-septal
- Ear:
- mastoiditis
- otitis externa, including:
- malignant
- otitis media
- Eye and orbit:
- conjunctivitis
- endophthalmitis
- keratitis
- peri-orbital infections
- retinitis
- uveitis
- Mouth:
- infections, such as:
- odontogenic
- osteomyelitis
- infections, such as:
- Vincent’s angina
Infections involving multiple systems
- Diphtheria
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Malaria
- Polio
- Rheumatic fever
- Tetanus
- Typhoid
Musculoskeletal conditions
- Arthritis:
- reactive
- septic
- viral
- Bursitis, septic
- Infections in bones and joints related to prostheses
- Osteomyelitis:
- acute
- chronic
Non-infectious diseases and syndromes that commonly mimic infection
- Connective tissue diseases, such as:
- adult-onset Stills disease (AOSD)
- rheumatoid arthritis
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)
- Haematological malignancies, such as:
- leukaemia
- lymphoma
- Kikuchi disease
- Pyoderma gangrenosum
- Macrophage activating syndrome
- Scurvy
- Vasculitis
Pharynx and peripharyngeal space conditions
- Abscess:
- peritonsillar
- retropharyngeal
- Cervical lymphadenitis, such as:
- granulomatous
- lymphotropic virus
- toxoplasmosis
- Lemierre syndrome
- Ludwig angina
- Mycobacterial
- Pharyngitis
- Thyroiditis:
- subacute
- suppurative
- Tonsillitis, suppurative
Respiratory conditions
- Lower respiratory, such as:
- abscess, lung
- bronchiectasis
- bronchiolitis
- bronchitis
- empyema
- pneumonia
- Upper respiratory, such as:
- epiglottitis
- laryngitis
- laryngotracheobronchitis
- sinusitis
Severe communicable diseases, such as haemorrhagic fevers
Skin and soft tissue conditions
- Abscess
- Bites, such as:
- animal
- clenched fist
- human
- Carbuncle
- Cellulitis
- Cutaneous involvement in infections:
- bacterial
- mycobacterial
- mycotic
- viral
- Folliculitis
- Furuncle
- Gangrene:
- clostridial myonecrosis
- Fournier
- Impetigo
- Infections:
- subcutaneous tissue
- wound
- Necrotising fasciitis
- Scabies
- Skin implantation injuries, such as:
- soil
- vegetation
- water
Urinary conditions
- Abscess:
- kidney
- Asymptomatic bacteriuria
- Cystitis
- Epididymitis
- Infection associated with urinary tract prosthesis
- Orchitis
- Prostatitis
- Pyelonephritis
- Urethritis
Zoonotic infections, such as:
- Bartonella
- Brucellosis
- Leptospirosis
- Q fever
- Toxoplasmosis
AIM
Genital conditions
- Postoperative gynaecological infections, such as:
- infections post-termination of pregnancy
- Proctitis
- Urethritis (male)
Genital, pelvic, and sexually transmitted infections
- Chlamydia
- Genital:
- ulcers
- warts
- Gonorrhoea
- Infestations, such as:
- pubic lice
- Lesions, genital
- Mycoplasma genitalium
- Pelvic infections, such as:
- chorioamnionitis
- endometritis
- pelvic inflammatory disease
- post-caesarean infection
- postpartum fever
- vaginal discharge
- vaginitis
- vaginosis
- Syphilis
- Vulvitis
Skin and soft tissue
- Diabetic foot infection
PCH
- Bronchiolitis
- Infections:
- congenital
- perinatal
- Kawasaki disease
- Necrotising enterocolitis
- Omphalitis
- Sepsis, neonatal
Genital, pelvic, and sexually transmitted infections
- Some knowledge of sexually transmitted and genital infections is expected in paediatric infectious diseases, but exposure is likely to be limited during training
Non-infectious diseases and syndromes that commonly mimic infection
- Kawasaki disease
- Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS-TS)
For each presentation and condition, Advanced Trainees will know how to:
Synthesise
- recognise the clinical presentation
- identify relevant epidemiology, prevalence, pathophysiology, and clinical science
- take a comprehensive clinical history
- conduct an appropriate examination
- establish a differential diagnosis
- plan and arrange appropriate investigations
- consider the impact of illness and disease on patients and their quality of life when developing a management plan
Manage
- provide evidence-based management
- prescribe therapies tailored to patients’ needs and conditions
- recognise potential complications of disease and its management, and initiate preventative strategies
- involve multidisciplinary teams
Consider other factors
- identify individual and social factors and the impact of these on diagnosis and management
- Epidemiology of infectious diseases
- Expected course of infectious diseases
- Microbiology, including normal flora associated with organ systems
- Pathogen endemicity
- Pathophysiology / Pathogenesis of infectious diseases
- Predisposing factors to infection
- Unique aspects of infection presentations in special risk groups
Clinical sciences of infectious diseases
- Bacteria:
- cell wall deficient
- gram:
- negative
- positive
- spirochaetes
- Fungi:
- dimorphic
- moulds
- yeasts
- Mycobacteria:
- non-tuberculous
- tuberculous
- Parasites:
- ectoparasites
- helminths:
- cestodes (tape worms)
- nematodes (round worms)
- trematodes (flukes)
- protozoa
- Prions
- Viruses:
- DNA
- ribonucleic acid (RNA)
PCH
- Epidemiology across neonatal- and paediatric-aged spectrum to the conditions above
- Diagnostic tests:
- biopsy
- medical imaging
- specimen tests
- Examination and clinical assessment
- Management of infectious diseases, such as:
- differences in management of paediatric and adult patients, such as bone and joint infection
- prevention and screening
- reporting procedures
- suppressive therapy