Infectious Diseases

The Department of Infectious Diseases (formerly the Department of Communicable Diseases) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was founded in 1957 by nationally renowned infectious disease experts — Professors QIAN De, LIU Yuehan, WANG Qinan, ZHANG Dingfeng and DU Jizhao — who came from Huashan Hospital of Shanghai Medical University to Chongqing to establish it. Later, through the efforts of generations including Professors JIA Jie, CHEN Yatang, XIAO Yonghong, HUANG Wenxiang, ZHUO Chao, QIN Bo and LI Yongguo, and after more than sixty years of construction and development, it has become a nationally renowned discipline with considerable influence and important academic standing, and is an important base for clinical care, teaching, research and talent training in infectious diseases (infectiology) in China. It has been, or is currently, the unit of vice-chairmen and standing committee members of the Society of Infectious Diseases of the Chinese Medical Association and of the Infectious Disease Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. The Department of Infectious Diseases is among the first batch of national key disciplines in infectious diseases, the first batch of master’s and doctoral degree-granting programs in infectious diseases, the first batch of clinical pharmacology research bases for anti-infective and antiparasitic drugs, and the first institute of infectious and parasitic diseases in western China. It is a Chongqing Municipal clinical key specialty in infectious diseases and a “Fatty Liver Diagnosis and Treatment Center” of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. From 2009 to 2022 it was continuously nominated in the Fudan ranking of infectious disease disciplines, advancing 3 places in 2022 compared with 2021. The department currently has 72 beds, divided into the First Infectious Disease Ward, the Second Infectious Disease Ward and the Liver Disease Ward. Annual outpatient volume exceeds 70,000 visits, and more than 1,500 patients are admitted each year. It holds a domestically leading position in the diagnosis of complex infectious diseases, the treatment of severe infections, the clinical use of anti-infective drugs, viral hepatitis, fatty liver, various other liver diseases and the diagnosis and treatment of parasitic diseases. All outpatient physicians are experts with the title of associate professor or above. It has an independent color ultrasound room and rooms for liver stiffness and fat content examination. It is equipped with the latest color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic instrument and the French E-TEST liver fibrosis tester, as well as FibroScan liver steatosis quantitative diagnosis (CAP) equipment for quantitative measurement of liver stiffness and steatosis), providing patients with liver diseases noninvasive and accurate imaging assessment of the degree of hepatic steatosis, the degree of liver inflammation and the degree of liver fibrosis. Featured new techniques include high-precision nucleic acid testing of hepatitis B and C viruses, liver tissue needle biopsy, identification of multidrug-resistant bacteria and drug susceptibility testing, and parasite identification. The Institute of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases affiliated to the Department of Infectious Diseases has carried out bacterial resistance surveillance since the 1980s, strengthening bacterial detection and resistance research and guiding the rational regional use of anti-infective drugs. Its instruments and equipment are professional, complete and advanced: ordinary and ultra-low-temperature refrigerators, ordinary and carbon dioxide incubators, ordinary and low-temperature centrifuges, biosafety cabinets, clean benches, ice makers, ATB identification system, drying ovens, multi-function readers, etc., which can meet clinical and research needs. In 2007 it took the lead in Chongqing in establishing a P2 biosafety laboratory, equipped with the most advanced nucleic acid sequencer, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, 16S rRNA-based detection technology, MALDI-TOF MS time-of-flight mass spectrometry molecular testing and other diagnostic equipment, forming an advanced molecular diagnostic platform for pathogenic microorganisms; the laboratory can perform influenza A and B testing. Since 2001, “artificial liver” technology has been applied to treat liver failure. The department has currently established 6 subspecialties featuring emergency early warning and treatment of sudden infectious diseases, fever of unknown origin, infectious diseases and severe infectious diseases, infectious diseases and nosocomial infections (infectious disease ICU), viral hepatitis and liver failure, and parasitic diseases. Advantageous and featured diseases: 1. Acute and chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis A, etc.) 2. Various difficult and critical liver diseases such as liver failure, cirrhosis and drug-induced liver injury 3. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (fatty liver) and alcoholic liver disease 4. Acute fatty liver of pregnancy and pregnancy-related liver diseases 5. Treatment of severe pneumonia and respiratory failure of unknown origin 6. Diagnosis and treatment of fever of unknown origin 7. Comprehensive treatment of septic shock caused by sepsis and multiple organ failure 8. Central nervous system infections such as tuberculous meningitis, cryptococcal meningitis and purulent meningitis 9. Treatment of refractory multidrug-resistant community-/hospital-acquired infections 10. Diagnosis and treatment of various deep fungal infections 11. Infective endocarditis 12. Infectious diarrhea 13. Complex skin and soft tissue infections such as gas gangrene 14. Various parasitic diseases. There are currently 25 physicians, including 10 professors/chief physicians and 4 associate professors/associate chief physicians. The department counts among its ranks academic and technical leaders of Chongqing, reserve candidates for academic and technical leaders of Chongqing, high-level young and middle-aged medical talents of Chongqing, national March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetters, winners of the Wuhan May 1st Labor Medal, and famous masters of the Chongqing Talent program. More than two-thirds of the physicians have overseas study or advanced training experience. The department has strong academic influence and a good academic reputation nationally and regionally. It is the vice-chairman unit of the Infectious Disease Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the chairman unit of the Infectious Disease Physicians Branch of the Chongqing Medical Doctor Association, the chairman unit of the Hospital Infection and Control Committee of the Chongqing Preventive Medicine Association, and the chairman unit of the Chongqing Drug-Resistant Bacteria Diagnosis and Treatment Alliance and the Chongqing Liver Disease and Infection Specialty Alliance.