In obstetrics and gynecology, as in other medical disciplines, great satisfaction comes from doing, but a greater satisfaction comes from knowing. The desire to know raises clinical practice to its highest level. This principle guided us in determining the objectives for this volume. Several standard textbooks of obstetrics and gynecology include information about infectious problems. Infectious Diseases in the Female Patient is unique in that it emphasizes primarily the basic science asยญ pects of infections in obstetrics and gynecology. Although providing a practitioner's handbook was not our goal, the reader nevertheless will find discussions of the management of infections in the female paยญ tient. The continued growth of knowledge about infectious disease enยญ countered in obstetrics and gynecology has come from many sources: bacteriology, virology, genetics, immunology, biochemistry, physiolยญ ogy, and pharmacology. Insights from all these disciplines contribute to the conceptual framework of this volume. Many of the authors who contributed to this text are leaders in their respective areas of research and bring to the book a diversity of exยญ pertise and experience. Controversial issues are developed in a balยญ anced fashion, and, in most cases, opposing views are discussed. Since medical texts usually are read piece-meal rather than cover to cover, we have allowed some overlap between chapters. The slight degree of redundancy allows each chapter to stand on its own, so that the reader may obtain the necessary information from a single chapter
CONTENT
1 Bacterial Infection and Immunity -- 2 Microflora of the Female Genital Tract -- 3 Viral Infection and Immunity -- 4 The Compromised Host -- 5 Antimicrobial Therapy and Bacterial Resistanceโฆ -- 6 Active Immunizations in Pregnancy -- 7 Work-up of the Febrile Patient -- 8 Viral Infections of the Female Genital Tract -- 9 Intrauterine Bacterial Infections -- 10 Lower Genital Tract Infections -- 11 Upper Genital Tract Infections -- 12 Urinary Tract Infections -- 13 Pelvic SurgeryโInfectious Complications -- 14 Antibiotic Prophylaxis
