Infectious Diseases Board Review Recommendations

The amount of clinical knowledge necessary to pass the Infectious Diseases Board Examination is daunting.  There are numerous resources available that are entire texts.  At Antimicrobe, we have developed a graded list of important pathogens based on our experience with the ID Boards.  The list is divided in 4 categories:

        Tier A:  Uncommon clinical pathogens and HIGH yield for ID boards

        Tier B:  Common clinical pathogens and HIGH yield for ID boards

        Tier C:  Common clinical pathogens and LOW yield for ID boards

        Tier D:  Uncommon clinical pathogens and LOW yield for ID boards

With a subscription to antimicrobe.org, you can click on the individual pathogens and be taken directly to an intensive review on each.
The blocked out sections are revealed with a paid subscription to provide a full reference for board preparation.  There are tables, life cycles (when indicated) and other information to help you master the specialty of ID while preparing for your ID Boards.

Tier A (Uncommon clinical pathogens and HIGH yield for ID boards)

Actinomyces species (Actinomycoses)  

Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax) 

Borrelia species (Relapsing Fever) 

Brucella species (Brucellosis)  

Burkholderia pseudomallei (Melioidosis ) and B. mallei (Glanders) 

Capnocytophaga species  

Clostridium tetani (Tetanus)  

Corynebacterium diphtheriae (Diphtheria) 

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae 

Francisella tularenesis (Tularemia) 

Haemophilus ducreyi (Chancroid)  

Klebsiella granulomatous (Granuloma inguinale)  

Leptospira species (Leptospirosis)  

Nocardia species (Nocardiosis) 

Rhodococcus equi infections 

Spirillium minus (Rat bite fever)

Streptobacillus moniliformis (Rat bite fever)  

Treponema pertenue, Treponema carateum, Treponema endemicum (Yaws, Pinta, Bejel) 

Yersinia pestis (Plague) and Y. pseudotuberculosis

II. Mycobacteria

Mycobacterium haemophilum

Mycobacterium leprae (Leprosy) 

III. Rickettsia

Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)

Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species (Ehrlichiosis)

Orientia tsutsugamushi (Scrub Typhus) 

Rickettsia akari (Rickettsialpox) 

Rickettsia prowazekii (Epidemic Typhus and Brill-Zinsser Disease) 

Rickettsia typhi (Murine typhus)  

IV. Miscellaneous

Bartonella species  

Chlamydia psittaci (Psittacosis)  

Tropheryma whippelii (Whipple’s Disease) 

V. Fungi

Fusarium

Hyalohyphomycosis (Acremonium, Fusarium, Paecilomyces, Scedosporium and Others)  

Penicillium marneffei (Pencillosis)

Sporothrix schenckii (Sporotrichosis)

Zygomycetes (Mucormycoses)  

VI. Viruses

Dengue

Hanta virus

Measles Virus (Rubeola) 

Mumps

Poxviruses (Variola (Smallpox), Vaccinia, Monkeypox)

Rabies Virus

Rubella Virus (German Measles) 

SARS Virus

VII. Parasites

Acanthamoeba

Angiostrongylus

Ascaris lumbricoides (Ascariasis) 

Babesia species (Babesiosis)  

Balantidium coli (Balantidiasis)  

Clonorchis Sinesis

Cryptosporidium parvum (Cryptosporidiosis)  

Cutaneous Larva Migrans

Cyclospora cayetanensis

Dracunculus medinensis (Dracunculiasis)

Echinococcus species (Echinococcosis)

Fasciola species

Filariasis

Hookworms (Ancyclostoma duodenale and Necator americanus)

Leishmania species (Leishmaniasis)  

Loa loa (Loiasis)  

Microsporidia (Microsporidiosis) 

Naegleria fowleri   

Onchocerca volvulus (Onchocerciasis)   

Paragonimus species (Paragonimiasis)  

Taenia solium (Cysticercosis)

Toxocara species (Toxocariasis)

Trichinella spiralis (Trichinellosis) 

Trypanosoma cruzi (American Trypanosomiasis or Chagas  Disease)

Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (African Trypanosomiasis)  

Tier B (Common clinical pathogens and HIGH yield for ID boards)

Aeromonas species  

Bordetella pertussis (Whooping Cough) and other species   

Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme Disease)  

Clostridium botulinum (Botulism)

Clostridium difficile 

Enterococcus species   

Legionella species (Legionnaires disease)

Listeria monocytogenes (Listeriosis)

Neisseria gonorrhoeae  

Neisseria meningitides

Pasteurella multocida and Other Pasteurella species

Pseudomonas aeruginosa 

Salmonella typhi (Typhoid Fever) and S. paratyphi (Paratyphoid Fever)

Salmonella, Non-Typhoidal Species (S. Choleraesuis, S. Enteritidis, S. Hadar, S. Typhimurium)

Shigella species (Shigellosis)

Staphylococcus aureus  

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 

Streptococcus pneumoniae  

Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus)

Treponema Pallidum (Syphilis)

Vibrio cholerae (Cholera)

Vibrio vulnificus

Yersinia enterocolitica 

II. Mycobacteria

Group IV: Rapid Growing Mycobacteria (RGM) 

Mycobacterium avium Complex (MAC) 

Mycobacterium marinum 

M. tuberculosis Complex (Tuberculosis)

Isospora belli

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III. Rickettsia

Rickettsia rickettsia (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever)

IV. Miscellaneous

Chlamydia trachomatis

V. Fungi

Aspergillus species (Aspergillosis)

Blastomyces dermatidis (Blastomycosis) 

Candida species (Candidiasis)  

Coccidioides immitis (Coccidioidomycosis)  

Cryptococcus neoformans (Cryptococcosis)

Histoplasma capsulatum (Histoplasmosis)

Pneumocystis (carinii) jiroveci

VI. Viruses

Cytomegalovirus

Epstein-Barr Virus

Hepatitis B Virus

Hepatitis C Virus

Herpes Simplex Virus 

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Influenza virus

Papillomaviruses 

Varicella Zoster Virus  

West Nile Virus

VII. Parasites

Entamoeba histolytica (Amebiasis)

Giardia lamblia (Giardiasis)

Plasmodium species (Malaria)   

Schistosoma species (Schistosomiasis) 

Strongyloides stercoralis (Strongyloidosis)  

Toxoplasma gondii (Toxoplasmosis)

Tier C (Common clinical pathogens and LOW yield for ID boards)

Achromobacter (Alcaligenes) 

Acinetobacter species  

Actinobacillus species  

Anaerobic Bacteria

Bacillus species

Bacteroides species

Campylobacter species  

Citrobacter species 

Clostridium species (Clostridium perfringens, C. butyricum, C. clostridioforme, C. innocuum, C. ramosum, C. septicum, C. sordellii, C. tertium)  

Eikenella corrodens

Enterobacter species  

Escherichia coli

Haemophilus influenzae 

Helicobacter pylori

Kingella species

Klebsiella species (K. pneumoniae, K. oxytoca, K. ozaenae and K. rhinoscleromatis)

Lactococcus species (Lactococci)

Moraxella catarrhalis 

Morganella species

Proteus species

Serratia marcesens

Staphylococcus epidermidis and other Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci

Staphylococcus lugdunensis  

Streptococcus Group B 

Streptococcus species (Group G and Group C Streptococci, Viridans Group, Nutritionally Variant Streptococci)  

II. Mycobacteria

Mycobacterium kansasii  

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III. Rickettsia

IV. Miscellaneous

Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) pneumoniae 

Mycoplasma pneumoniae 

Mycoplasma species (M. hominis, M. genitalium, M. fermentans)  

V. Fungi

VI. Viruses

Adenovirus: Enteric 

Calciviruses (Norwalk virus) 

Enteroviruses (Polioviruses, Coxsackieviruses, Echoviruses and Numbered Enteroviruses) 

Hepatitis A Virus

Human Metapneumovirus

Molluscum Contagiosum Virus

Parainfluenza Virus 

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Rhinoviruses

Rotaviruses 

VII. Parasites

Enterobius vermicularis (Pinworm) 

Trichomonas vaginalis (Trichomoniasis) 

Tier D (Uncommon clinical pathogens and LOW yield for ID boards)

Aerococcus urinae  

Arcanobacterium haemolyticum 

Burkholderia cepacia complex 

Cardiobacterium hominis

 Chromobacterium violaceum 

Chryseobacterium and Myroides species

Edwardsiella tarda  

Gemella species

Leuconstoc species 

Myroides species

Oerskovia species 

Pediococci 

Plesiomonas shigelloides

Propionibacterium acnes

Providencia species

Roseomonas species

Rothia dentocariosa

Sphingomonas paucimobilis  

II. Mycobacteria

Group II. Scotochromogenic Mycobacterium (M. scrofulaceum, M. szulgai, M. gordonae)

Mycobacterium terrae 

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III. Rickettsia

Rickettsia species (R. africae,R. australis, R. conori, R. felis, R. helvetica, R. honei, R. japonicam, R. mongolotimonae, R. slovaca, R. sibirica)  

IV. Miscellaneous

V. Fungi

Dematiaceous fungi: (Chromoblastomycosis, Mycetoma, Phaeohyphomycosis)

Malassezia furfur  

Paracoccidioidomycosis brasiliensis (Paracoccidioidomycosis) 

VI. Viruses

Astroviruses

Australian Bat Lyssavirus

Barmah Forest Virus

Hendra virus 

GB Virus (Hepatitis G virus) 

Hepatitis E Virus

Human Herpes Virus-6 (HHV-6) 

Human Herpes Virus-7 (HHV-7)  

Human HerpesVirus 8 (HHV-8) 

Menangle virus

Ross River Virus  

VII. Parasites

Anisakis and Pseudoterranova species (Anisakiasis)  

Balamuthia species

Baylisacarris procyonis  

Blastocystis hominis

Capillaria species 

Dientamoeba fragilis

Dirofilaria immitis (Dirofilariasis)  

Echinostoma and Related Echinostomatid Flukes 

Fasciolopsis buski 

Gnathostoma species (Gnathostomiasis) 

Heterophyes, Metagonimus and Related Heterophyid Flukes  

Nanophyetus salmincola  

Opisthorchis species

Spirometra species

Taenia species (T. multiceps, T. serialis, T. brauni)  

Tapeworms (Taenia saginata, Hymenolopsis species, Dipylidium species, Diphyllobothrium, Bertiella species, Inermacapsifer madaascariensis, Railleitina species)

Trichostrongylus species

Trichuris Trichiura