Happy Birthday to Us!!JIDReaches 100

Few individuals—and even fewer medical journals—reach the ripe old age of 100, but 2004 marks the centennial year for The Journal of Infectious Diseases (JID). Born as a collaborative effort between The University of Chicago and the John Rockefeller McCormick Memorial Institute for Infectious Diseases, JID’s launch was facilitated by generous contributions from the Rockefeller McCormick family. The first editors were University of Chicago faculty, Ludvig Hektoen and Edwin O. Jordan. Hektoen served as editor for 37 years, Jordan for 33, leading JID through its formative years Articles appearing in JID have mirrored the enormous advances made in infectious diseases over the past century. The first published article, in 1904, was entitled “On the Cultivation of Trypanosoma brucei” by Fredereck G. Novy and Ward J. McNeal of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research [1]. Other articles in volume 1 helped define the pathogenesis of both human pneumococcal infection and measles [2, 3] and characterized the longevity of the typhoid bacillus in water [4]. Over the next few years, important JID articles included reports on the initial isolation of the organism responsible for Rocky Mountain spotted fever and definition of its means of transmission [5], demonstration that an “ultramicroscopic” organism transmissible by culex mosquitoes was responsible for dengue [6], and the first demonstration of tularemia in humans, with isolation of the causative organism [7] Reading through the pages of JID over the decades is a journey through the history of infectious diseases. Descriptions of the influenza pandemic and encephalitis lethargica [8–10], development of important diagnostic techniques [11–13], identifications of the etiologic organisms for various diseases [14–16], and critical investigations into microbial pathogenesis [17–20] and epidemiology [21–25] have graced JID’s pages during its first 100 years Over the decades, however, JID became increasingly viewed as an “in-house journal” of The University of Chicago, and manuscript submissions and subscriptions both diminished. By the 1960s, its circulation had sunk to approximately 1700 subscribers, it was in tenuous financial condition, and its very existence was threatened [26]. JID’s editor at the time, James Moulder, requested that The University of Chicago Press (UCP) review its status and future prospects. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), formed in 1963, entered into intense discussions with UCP, discussions that eventually led to an agreement to shift scientific and editorial responsibility for JID management to the IDSA while maintaining publication by UCP The first JID issue under this dual-leadership arrangement appeared in January 1969, with Edward Kass as the new editor. Kass rejuvenated JID and introduced many changes, including larger pages, attractive deep-red covers, more-frequent (i.e., monthly) publication, and rigorous peer review. Gone were the days of Arrowsmith when “he [Martin Arrowsmith] took a day off to go to Chicago and talk it over with the editor of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.… The editor praised his paper, accepted it, and suggested only one change” [27] In contrast, each manuscript now had at least 2 peer reviewers, as well as an associate editor and editor, a policy that remains in place today. Under Kass and subsequent editors (George Jackson, Martha Yow, and Marvin Turck), JID flourished. It once again became the most widely read and respected journal in the field of infectious diseases. Today, subscriptions exceed 11,000, and manuscript submissions are approximately 1900 per year, less than 30% of which are accepted for publication. Both print and electronic versions are available, and the entire review process is now electronic, allowing for faster processing and earlier publication than was previously possible. Income from subscriptions, supplements, reprints, and advertising helps support many worthy IDSA activities for its membership and for the wider infectious-diseases community Because of the large volume of original-research articles published in JID a new IDSA journal, Reviews in Infectious Diseases was initiated in 1979, to publish review articles, proceedings of symposia, policy positions of the IDSA, and other teaching or training material. Over time, the emphasis of that journal changed to also accept original reports that are primarily clinical in nature, and in 1992 the journal was renamed “Clinical Infectious Diseases” (CID). Under the leadership of Sherry Gorbach, CID has grown and prospered The Journal of Infectious Diseases also continues to evolve. Twice-monthly publication began in 2001, and JID has become truly international, with over half of the submitted manuscripts and over half of the non-IDSA subscribers coming from outside the United States. Because of the increasing numbers of manuscripts submitted annually, the position of deputy editor (now ably filled by David Hooper) was created in 2003, and more associate editors and office staff have been added to facilitate reviewing and processing In recent decades, JID has chronicled, interpreted, and elucidated important events in infectious diseases, ranging from Legionnaire disease to severe acute respiratory syndrome (“SARS”). In the field of HIV/AIDS alone, since 1982, when the first JID investigative report on this topic appeared [28], we have published >1500 HIV/AIDS-related research articles, facilitating understanding of its epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy. It is impossible to predict what additional new pathogens, outbreaks, and epidemics will evolve in the years ahead, although it is clear that some of our current problems, such as AIDS, antibiotic resistance, and tuberculosis, will be with us for decades to come. As these older problems are solved and new ones emerge, The Journal of Infectious Diseases will continue to lead the way in reporting and explaining the results of important clinical and laboratory infectious-diseases research In the current centennial year, JID will republish several classic articles that have appeared on our pages during the first 100 years, with editorial perspectives from present leaders in the infectious-diseases community. This effort begins in the current issue, with an article from volume 1 in 1904, “Studies in Pneumonia and Pneumococcus Infection” by E. C. Rosenow [2], accompanied by a commentary by Morton Swartz. JID articles to be reprinted in subsequent issues include seminal reports on tularemia [7], Rocky Mountain spotted fever [5], dengue [6], hantaviruses [16], Norwalk virus [14], antibiotic resistance [22], and prions [19], among others During the past 100 years, infectious-diseases investigators have identified microbial causes for important illnesses, described how they cause disease, evaluated their epidemiology, and developed both effective treatments and preventative vaccines. The Journal of Infectious Diseases has been there every step of the way. Please join us in our 100th-birthday celebration and on our exciting journey into the next century of infectious-diseases research