Doody's Review Service

Reviewer:	Cristina Torres, MD (Creighton University School of Medicine)

Description
This edition updates the 2020 edition and focuses on high-yield topics for the American Board of Internal Medicine Infectious Disease exam and clinical practice. The book organizes material into multiple schemas, addressing clinical syndromes, body systems, specific populations and augments text with easy-to-read tables and figures.

Purpose
The book's primary purpose is to review the clinical knowledge expected of practicing infectious disease physicians at the level required to pass the American Board of Internal Medicine Infectious Disease examination. In a field as broad as infectious disease, this is an ambitious goal, and the book accomplishes it well. It consistently bolds high-yield information and supplements discussions with easy-to-read tables and clear figures that highlight frequently tested concepts. The book presents an organized schema that guides clinical reasoning in both real-life practice and exam preparation, supporting first-time test takers as well as physicians preparing for recertification.

Audience
The audience for this book is infectious disease physicians at all stages of their careers, including initial certification, recertification, and clinical practice. The foreword emphasizes presenting topics in a manner to support students, residents, fellows, and attendings to augment fellowship teaching and preparing readers for board exams. Infectious disease physicians early in career will benefit from reviewing this text. Many of the listed authors are experts frequently featured at national infectious disease conferences, which reinforces the book's credibility.

Features
The book comprises six sections that address microbiology, antimicrobial agents, syndromes by body system, infections in immunocompromised hosts, and a range of specialty topics. It presents material through both a syndromic approach and focused coverage of special populations, creating a broad yet logically organized scope. While the text does not aim to provide the most up-to-date guidelines, it emphasizes classic clinical associations that remain essential in both practice and standardized testing. Each section is written in clear, professional language by experts in the field, and the content is consistently augmented with easy-to-review tables, photographs, and figures. Because many aspects of infectious disease diagnosis depend on physical exam findings, particularly dermatologic manifestations, the inclusion of clinical photographs adds significant value by reinforcing key associations. Similarly, the microbiology section benefits from images that demonstrate the classic microscopic appearance of pathogens. The book does not include traditional in-text citations but instead offers suggested further reading at the end of each chapter, giving direction for expanding knowledge even though specific references are not highlighted within the text. Although the reference style is less detailed than in a standard textbook, the suggested further readings and authoritative figures provide sufficient support for the book's purpose as a high-yield review. Finally, the memory aid section at the end of the book consolidates high-yield topics into a rapid review tool that is particularly helpful for exam preparation.

Assessment
This book serves as a valuable adjunct to the education infectious disease physicians receive during fellowship. Because individual schemas develop based on clinical exposure, and many infections are region-specific and not encountered in daily practice, knowledge gaps are inevitable. This book addresses those gaps effectively and provides structured reinforcement of high-yield material. The second edition incorporates updated content on respiratory infections following the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and future editions will likely be necessary as new infectious diseases continue to emerge to maintain the "comprehensive" scope the authors intend. While not as all-encompassing or detailed as *Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases*, 10th Edition, Blaser et al. (Elsevier, 2026), this text provides an effective overview of the highest-yield material for board preparation. For board preparation and for building a solid foundation of infectious disease knowledge, the book proves highly effective, and I recommend it to fellows, recertifying physicians, and other learners seeking a concise yet thorough review.