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Infection Control and Disease Transmission Vocabulary/Key Terms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Acquired immunity | Immunity that is developed during a person’s lifetime |
Acute infection | An infection of short duration that is often severe |
Anaphylaxis | Extreme hypersensitivity to a substance that can lead to shock and life-threatening respiratory collapse |
Artificially acquired immunity | Immunity that results from a vaccination |
Blood-borne disease | Disease that is caused by microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria that are carried in blood |
Blood-borne pathogens | Disease-causing organisms transferred through contact with blood or other body fluids |
Chain of infection | Conditions that all must be present for infection to occur |
Chronic infection | An infection of long duration |
Communicable disease | Condition caused by an infection that can be spread from person to person or through contact with body fluids |
Contaminated waste | Items such as gloves and patient napkins that may contain potentially infectious body fluids of patients |
Direct contact | Touching or contact with a patient’s blood or saliva |
Droplet infection | An infection that occurs through mucosal surfaces of the eyes, nose, or mouth. |
Epidemiologic studies | Studies of the patterns and causes of diseases. |
Hazardous waste | Waste that poses a danger to humans or to the environment. |
Immunity | Ability of the body to resist disease |
Indirect contact | Touching or contact with a contaminated surface or instrument. |
Infection control | Policies and practices designed to prevent the spread of infectious agents. |
Infection prevention | Ultimate goal of all infection control procedures and policies. |
Infectious disease | Disease that is communicable. |
Infectious waste | Waste that is capable of transmitting an infectious disease. |
Inherited immunity | Immunity that is present at birth. |
Latent infection | Persistent infection with recurrent symptoms that “come and go.” |
Naturally acquired immunity | Immunity that occurs when a person has contracted and is recovering from a disease. |
Occupational exposure | Any reasonably anticipated skin, eye, or mucous membrane contact or percutaneous injury involving blood or any other potentially infectious materials. |
OSHA Blood-Borne Pathogens (BBP) | Standard Guidelines designed to protect employees against occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens. |
Pathogen | Disease-causing organism. |
Percutaneous | Through the skin, such as with a needle stick, cut, or human bite. |
Permucosal | Contact with mucous membranes, such as the eyes or mouth. |
Personal protective equipment (PPE) | Items such as protective clothing, masks, gloves, and eyewear used to protect employees. |
Sharps | Pointed or cutting instruments, including needles, scalpel blades, orthodontic wires, and endodontic instruments. |
Standard Precautions | Standard of care designed to protect healthcare providers from pathogens that can be spread by blood or any other body fluid via excretion or secretion; expands on the concept of Universal Precautions. |
Universal Precautions | Guidelines based on treating all human blood and body fluids (including saliva) as potentially infectious. |
Virulence | Strength of a pathogen’s ability to cause disease; also known as pathogenicity. |