Chapter 9 - Infection Control Concepts

antigens

*Foreign material that invades the body *Anything that is foreign to the body and that causes an immune response *What mobilizes the adaptive defenses and provokes an immune response?

eyes, nose, mouth

3 common mucosal membranes of the human body

direct contact, fomites, vectors, vehicles, airborne, droplet contamination

6 main routes of transmission of diseases include:

spore

A reproductive cell with a hard, protective coating (mold reproduces by spores)

endospore

A thick-walled protective spore that forms inside a bacterial cell and resists harsh conditions.

Phagocytosis

A type of endocytosis in which a cell engulfs large particles or whole cells

Health care-associated infections (HAIs)

An infection that is acquired in a hospital setting, formerly known as a nosocomial infection

pathogen

An organism that causes disease

fomite

Any inanimate object to which infectious material adheres and can be transmitted.

prion

Any of various infectious proteins that are abnormal forms of normal cellular proteins, that proliferate by inducing the normal protein to convert to the abnormal form, and that in mammals include pathogenic forms.

portal of exit

Any route through which blood, body fluids, excretions, or secretions leave the body

vehicle

Any substance that transmits microbes

vector

Arthropod in whose body an infectious organism develops or multiplies before becoming infective to a new host

motile

Capable of movement

natural immunity

Immunity that is partly inherited and partly developed through healthy living.

acquired immunity

Immunity that is present only after exposure and is highly specific.

infectious organisms

Microorganisms capable of causing disease are called pathogens or pathogenic organisms

normal flora

Microorganisms that reside in or on the body without causing disease

reservoir to susceptible host

Most direct way to break cycle of infection is to prevent transmission of infectious organism from ____ to ____ ___

antibodies

Specialized proteins that aid in destroying infectious agents

T

T/F: droplet nuclei can remain suspended in the air for long periods of time

patients

____ are often hosts because of a reduced immune system

virion

a fully formed virus that is able to establish an infection in a host cell

fungus

a parasitic plant lacking chlorophyll and leaves and true stems and roots and reproducing by spores (plural: fungi)

susceptible host

a person likely to get an infection or disease, usually because body defenses are weak

reservoir of infection

a place where pathogens can thrive in sufficient numbers to pose a threat

protozoon

a single-cell parasite that replicates rapidly once inside a living host (plural: protozoa)

opportunistic infection

caused by a pathogen that does not normally produce an illness in healthy humans

droplet contamination

contamination that occurs when an infectious individual coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings in the vicinity of a susceptible host

1. infectious organisms 2. reservoir of infection 3. portal of exit 4. susceptible host 5. portal of entry 6. transmission of virus

cycle of infection

3 feet or less

droplets don't travel far: only up to how many feet?

TB, varicella viruses (also transmitted via direct contact)

examples of airborne diseases

GI tract, open wound, respiratory tract

examples of common portals of exit

contaminated food, water, drugs, or blood

examples of common vehicles:

influenza, meningitis, diphtheria, pertussis, streptococcal pneumonia

examples of droplet contamination

syphilis, HIV, staph

examples of infections spread through direct contact

respiratory tract, urinary tract, GI tract, open wound or break in skin, mucous membranes, bloodstream

examples of portals of entry for pathogens

food, water, animals

examples of reservoirs of infection

direct contact

exposure or transmission of a communicable disease from one person to another by physical contact

nosocomial infection

hospital acquired infection

5 micrometers

how large are the droplets that are infectious in droplet contamination?

direct contact

infected person must touch susceptible host; requires pathogens to be placed in direct contact w/ susceptible tissue

transmission of disease

movement of pathogen from one host to another

mosquitos (malaria); ticks (lyme disease)

name 2 common vectors and the diseases they spread:

airborne transmission

occurs through contact with contaminated respiratory droplets spread by a cough or sneeze -occurs from dust that contains spores or by means of droplet nuclei

droplet nuclei

particles of evaporated droplets containing microorganisms and smaller than 5 micrometers

portal of entry

route by which microorganisms gain access into the susceptible host

bacterium

single-cell micro-organism that reproduces rapidly and causes many infections (plural: bacteria)

passive immunity

the short-term immunity that results from the introduction of antibodies from another person or animal.

virulence factors

traits of a microbe that promote pathogenicity -distinguish pathogens from nonpathogenic organisms and normal flora

contaminated gloves, xray table, positioning sponges

what are 3 examples of fomites in the radiography field?

moisture, nutrients, suitable temperature

what must the reservoir of infection have to allow pathogens to thrive?

droplet contamination

what type of contamination occurs with contact of mucous membranes of eyes, nose, or mouth of a host with large droplets that contain microorganisms?

occupational hospital acquired infection

when healthcare workers who acquire certain illnesses from their place of work