The present invention relates to the treatment of infectious diseases, specifically by extracorporeally eradicating the pathogen. This invention comprises methods for the extracorporeal treatment of infectious diseases that will remove infectious pathogens (leukemia cells, bacteria, viruses, or fungi causing a septicemia, metastatic cancer cells, target protein, viruses, parasites, fungi and prions) in humans by targeting such pathogens with a laser or other high-energy source of emissive radiation. More specifically, the method involves removing a bodily fluid from a patient, attaching an antibody to pathogens in the bodily fluid, sensing the antibody-pathogen moiety, using a high-powered, focused laser, or other suitable light source, to destroy the antibody-pathogen moiety, removing the remains of the antibody-pathogen by filtering or other suitable mechanism(s), and returning the bodily fluid to the patient.
