Basic Nursing Care Review

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts in Basic Nursing Care, infectious diseases, and microbiology as outlined in the provided lecture notes.

BNC

Basic Nursing Care, fundamental assistance provided to a patient to meet their physical and psychological needs.

Infectious Disease

Illnesses caused by pathogens that can be transmitted from an infected individual or reservoir to a susceptible host.

Chain of Infection

A series of events that must occur for disease transmission, including the agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host.

Agent

The organism capable of causing infection or disease, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.

Reservoir

The natural habitat of an infectious agent, which can be a living host (humans, animals) or non-living (soil, water).

Portal of Exit

The route through which an infectious agent leaves its reservoir, including body secretions and discharges.

Mode of Transmission

The mechanism by which an infectious agent is transferred from a reservoir to a new host, either directly or indirectly.

Aerobic Bacteria

Bacteria that require oxygen to live and grow.

Anaerobic Bacteria

Bacteria that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen.

Virulence

The ability of an infectious agent to cause severe outcomes of disease, such as death.

Ectoparasite

A parasitic organism that lives on the outer surface of its host, like lice or ticks.

Endoparasites

Parasites that live inside the body of their host, such as Entamoeba histolytica.

Fungi

Eukaryotic microorganisms that can exist as yeasts, molds, or both, some of which can cause diseases.

Bacteria

Microscopic, single-celled organisms that can cause diseases, characterized by their prokaryotic cell structure.

Virus

Microscopic organisms consisting of genetic material (RNA or DNA) within a protective protein coat, requiring a host to reproduce.

Antigenic Properties

Characteristics of substances that allow them to trigger an immune response and interact with antibodies.

Protozoa

Single-celled eukaryotic organisms, some of which can be pathogenic, such as Plasmodium and Giardia.