Canadian Society of Microbiologists - Infection and Immunity

Bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi can cause diseases in humans, animals and on plants and remain a major public health concern in spite of currently available vaccines and antibiotics. Diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, pneumonia, and diarrheal diseases continue to threaten human health and well being, in part due to the emergence of new infectious strains and increasing resistance to antibiotics.

Research in infection and immunity is critical to our understanding of infectious disease processes, which will inform the development of new prevention strategies and treatments to overcome microbial threats. Much of the work in the area of Infection and Immunity occurs at the interface between traditional disciplines of microbiology and immunology. This includes research into host-pathogen interactions, the diverse areas of medical and veterinary microbiology, and the development of new vaccines and antibiotics. Microbiologists working in these research areas are furthering our understanding of disease mechanisms at the genetic, biochemical and structural levels. Immunologists interested in infectious diseases are studying how our host defense systems react to disease causing agents and the mechanisms underlying susceptibility and natural resistance to infections. The interface of these areas brings unique understanding to molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to the discovery of strategies to prevent and treat infectious diseases in the future.

Opportunities for microbiologists trained in infection and immunity are numerous with high impact jobs available in the hospital and clinical, industry (eg. Vaccine and diagnostics development) and public health (eg. Public Health Agency of Canada) sectors.