Inflammatory and Immunologic Concepts

Communicable Disease

Illness caused by an infectious agent or its toxins.

Infection

Implantation and successful replication of an organism within the body causing immunologic response.

Contact

The state or condition of physical touching.

Carrier

A person or thing that carries or holds something.

Contagious Disease

Disease that is easily transmitted.

Infectious Disease

Requires direct inoculation through a break on the skin or mucous membrane.

Host

Where a parasite or commensal organism lives.

Reservoir

Chronically infested with the causative agent of a disease and can act as a source of further infection.

Disinfection

Destruction of pathogens outside the body by physical or chemical means.

Concurrent Disinfection

When the patient is still the cause of infection.

Terminal Disinfection

Patient is no longer the source of infection.

Isolation

Separation of a person with a communicable disease.

Reverse Isolation

Separation of an immunocompromised person at risk of communicable disease.

Quarantine

Limitation of freedom within the longest incubation period of the disease.

Agent

A factor that causes a disease in the epidemiologic triangle.

Epidemic

A widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.

Pandemic

An epidemic that has spread across a large region, such as multiple continents.

Endemic

A disease or condition regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.

Infectivity

Ability of an agent to invade and replicate.

Virulence

Strength of the agent to cause disease.

Pathogenicity

Ability to cause a disease.

Antigenicity

Ability to stimulate antibody production.

Invasiveness

Ability to live outside the body.

Direct Contact

A mode of transmission that involves immediate transfer of an infectious agent.

Indirect Contact

A mode of transmission that involves transmission through an intermediary object.

Droplet Spread

Transmission of disease via droplets that are expelled when a person coughs or sneezes.

Air-borne Transmission

Transmission of infectious agents via dust particles or droplets in the air.

Vehicle-borne Transmission

Transmission through contaminated water, food, or blood.

Vector-borne Transmission

Transmission through organisms such as mosquitoes or ticks.

Community Acquired

Infection acquired outside of a healthcare setting.

Nosocomial

Infection acquired in a hospital or healthcare facility.

Iatrogenic

Infection resulting from medical treatment or intervention.

Incubation

The period between exposure to an infection and the appearance of the first symptoms.

Prodromal

The stage preceding the appearance of specific symptoms.

Illness or Fastigial Stage

The stage characterized by the presence of all symptoms.

Convalescence or Defervescence

The stage where symptoms subside and recovery begins.

Natural Immunity

Immunity that occurs through natural infection.

Active Immunity

Immunity developed through vaccination or previous infection.

Passive Immunity

Temporary immunity acquired through the transfer of antibodies.

Artificial Immunity

Immunity acquired through medical intervention such as vaccinations.

Inactivated Antigen

An antigen that is killed but can still elicit an immune response.

Attenuated Antigen

A weakened form of the antigen that can provide long-lasting immunity.

Strict Isolation

Complete separation of infected individuals to prevent transmission.

Contact Isolation

Precautions taken to prevent the spread of diseases through direct physical contact.

Respiratory Isolation

Precautions taken to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens.

Enteric Isolation

Precautions taken to control the spread of organisms through the gastrointestinal tract.

Drainage/Secretion Precaution

Precautions related to handling bodily fluids that may be infectious.

Universal Precaution

An approach to infection control that treats all human blood and certain human bodily fluids as if they were known to be infectious.

Chicken Pox

An illness caused by HHV3 or Varicella-Zoster virus, characterized by itchy maculovesiculopapular lesions.

Rubeola

Also known as measles, marked by Koplik's Spots, fever, and a maculopapular rash.

Rubella

Also known as German measles, characterized by a rash and potential congenital defects.

Scabies

An infestation by Sarcoptes scabiei, causing itchiness and linear burrows.

Rabies

A viral disease transmitted through animal bites, leading to severe neurological symptoms.

Leprosy

A chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, characterized by skin lesions and nerve damage.

Tetanus

A bacterial infection characterized by muscle spasms and rigidity caused by Clostridium tetani.

Meningitis

An infection causing inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

Poliomyelitis

A viral disease where the poliovirus damages motor neurons, causing paralysis.

Dengue Fever

A vector-borne disease characterized by high fever, severe headache, and muscle pain.

Malaria

A disease caused by Plasmodium species, transmitted through Anopheles mosquitoes, and characterized by fever and chills.

Filariasis

A parasitic disease caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, leading to lymphedema and elephantiasis.

Diphtheria

An infectious disease caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, marked by a sore throat and pseudomembrane formation.

Pertussis

Also known as whooping cough, caused by Bordetella pertussis, featuring severe coughing fits.

Pneumonia

An infection causing inflammation of the lung's air sacs, usually characterized by cough and fever.

Tuberculosis

A contagious bacterial infection primarily affecting the lungs, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Schistosomiasis

A disease caused by schistosome flatworms, often resulting in hepatosplenomegaly and eosinophilia.

Cholera

An acute diarrheal illness caused by Vibrio cholerae, resulting in severe dehydration.

Amoebiasis

An intestinal illness caused by Entamoeba histolytica, leading to bloody diarrhea.

Leptospirosis

A bacterial infection caused by Leptospira species, often associated with exposure to contaminated water.

Typhoid Fever

A systemic illness caused by Salmonella typhi, characterized by prolonged fever and abdominal pain.

Ascariasis

An intestinal infection caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, resulting in malnutrition.

Candidiasis

A fungal infection caused by Candida species, leading to cheese-like vaginal discharge.

Herpes Simplex

A virus characterized by blisters, often affecting mucous membranes.

Syphilis

A sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum, often identified by skin lesions.

Chlamydia

A common sexually transmitted infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis.

Trichomoniasis

A sexually transmitted infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, characterized by frothy discharge.

Genital Warts

Cauliflower-like lesions caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).