History of Infectious Diseases

Dr. David Rutenberg, senior Infectious Diseases Fellow at the University of South Florida Division of Infectious Diseases, presents a session chronicling some of the most significant historical milestones in ID history. Dr. Rutenberg begins by discusses Malaria’s origins, including its early interactions with humankind, as well as the discovery of its host and eventual therapeutic treatments. Next, the speaker covers Tuberculosis, including early strains, its rise through the the middle ages, and the modern recognition of TB attributed to Robert Koch. Moving on, Dr. Rutenberg discusses nontuberculous mycobacteria, specifically Leprosy, the scourge of the middle ages. Inherent in the history of Hanson’s disease was the tremendous stigma associated with the diagnosis, correct or incorrect. Dr. Rutenberg closes by covering Smallpox, the only one of the historical diseases of mankind that has been completely eradicated.