emilydean

The main categories of infectious diseases include: 1) viral infections (e.g. SARS-CoV-2, influenza, HIV, dengue fever and hepatitis B and C); 2) bacterial infections (e.g. tuberculosis, salmonellosis and Lyme disease); 3) parasitic infections (e.g. malaria and leishmaniasis); 4) fungal infections (e.g. candidiasis and histoplasmosis); 5) prion diseases (e.g. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, Kuru and protease-sensitive prion diseases).

Antibodies are indispensable in diagnosing and treating diseases caused by pathogens and their toxins. Over a century ago, antibodies were first incorporated into the medical arsenal for combating infectious diseases by using animal sera to treat tetanus and diphtheria. Today, most therapeutic antibodies are developed primarily to target cancer or autoimmune diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has once again highlighted the importance of antibodies in treating infectious diseases.