At the beginning of the new millennium, it is opportune to review what has been accomplished in the field of infectious diseases during the last decades of the previous century. The paradigm of the immunocompromised host gene has taught much about the pathophysiology of infectious diseases, particularly with regard to immunological aspects of host defense. In the beginning, Robert Good called immunodeficiency syndromes “experiments of nature. ” In the 1960's and subsequent decades, the clinical and immunological aspects of immune deficiencies were studied and adequate treatment attempted. A reflection of these developments were the three successful meetings on these topics in Veldhoven, The Netherlands (1980), Stirling, Scotland. Since then, the IIHS has organized meetings every two years... |