title: Delusional Infestation.
abstract: Although the practice of infectious diseases involves a broad range of surgical and medical disciplines, interactions with psychiatry are infrequent. Delusional infestation is a condition where an individual has a firmly fixed false belief that they have an infection. Delusional infestation challenges the infectious diseases specialist who must diligently rule out the presence of a true infection. However, perhaps, more importantly, we may need to initiate therapy with neuroleptic medications for which we may have little specific knowledge and experience. In this note we review the diagnosis and management of patients with delusional infestation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 2T1; Departments of Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Kevin B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Laupland
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology-Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada J1H 5N4.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valiquette