Unit 2 Test Review: Disease Prevention and Infection Control

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering disease prevention, infection control, the immune response, transmission-based isolation precautions, epidemiological definitions, and healthcare-associated infections from the TPJ4M Unit 2 curriculum.

Chain of Infection

The circular model representing the six interconnected links required for infection to spread: infectious agent, source, means of exit, mode of transmission, means of entry, and susceptible host.

Infectious Agent

The pathogen (such as a bacterium, virus, fungus, or parasite) capable of causing disease.

Source (Reservoir)

The natural habitat, person, animal, or contaminated object where an infectious agent lives, thrives, and multiplies.

Means of Exit

The route by which an infectious agent escapes from the reservoir or source host (e.g., respiratory secretions, blood, or bodily fluids).

Mode of Transmission

The specific mechanism or pathway by which a pathogen moves from its source to a susceptible individual (e.g., direct contact, droplet, or airborne).

Means of Entry

The portal or pathway through which a pathogen enters a new host (such as the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, broken skin, or mucous membranes).

Susceptible Host

An individual who lacks effective immunity or resistance to an infectious agent, allowing the organism to invade and establish an infection.

Contact Precautions (Acute Care)

Transmission-based precautions requiring healthcare workers and visitors to wear a long-sleeved gown and gloves, and dedicate patient equipment or disinfect it before use with another patient.

Isolation Precautions

The tiered infection-control categories (Standard, Contact, Droplet, and Airborne) designed to block pathogen transmission in healthcare settings according to disease-specific routes of spread.

Standard Precautions

Basic infection prevention measures applied to all patients involving blood, fluids, or broken skin, requiring hand hygiene and gloves.

Contact Precautions

Precautions used for infections spread by direct or indirect contact (e.g., MRSA, C. diff, RSV, and scabies), requiring a gown and gloves.

Droplet Precautions

Infection control measures for diseases spread by large respiratory droplets (e.g., Flu, Mumps, Rubella, and Pertussis), requiring a mask, gloves, and gown.

Airborne Precautions

Precautions for diseases spread via tiny, suspended droplet nuclei (e.g., TB, Measles, Varicella, and aerosolized COVID-19), requiring an N95 respirator and a negative pressure room.

PPE Doffing Order

The sequence for safely removing personal protective equipment to avoid self-contamination: 1. Gloves, 2. Goggles or Face Shield, 3. Gown, 4. Mask.

PPE Donning Order

The recommended sequence for putting on protective equipment before patient contact: 1. Gown or Respirator, 3. Goggles or Face Shield, 4. Gloves.

Antigen

A foreign molecular structure or marker on a pathogen that triggers a targeted immune response.

Antibody

A specialized protein produced by B cells that specifically binds to and neutralizes a matching antigen or marks it for destruction.

B Cells

White blood cells of the specific adaptive immune response responsible for producing antigen-specific antibodies.

Helper T Cells

T lymphocytes that coordinate immune responses by recognizing foreign antigens presented by other cells and chemically activating B cells and Killer T cells.

Killer T Cells

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes that directly bind to and destroy host cells infected by pathogens or abnormal cells.

Non-specific Immune Response

The innate, immediate defense system (including skin, mucous membranes, and phagocytes) that combats all foreign invaders uniformly without targeting specific antigens.

Specific Immune Response

The adaptive defense system involving B cells and T cells that tailors its attack against distinct antigens and forms immunological memory.

Medical Asepsis

Clean technique focused on reducing the total number of pathogens and preventing their transfer from one person or surface to another.

Surgical Asepsis

Sterile technique aimed at completely eliminating all microorganisms, including bacterial spores, from objects or designated surgical areas.

Disinfection

The process of eliminating most pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate objects and surfaces, though not necessarily killing all bacterial spores.

Sterilization

The physical or chemical process that completely destroys or eliminates all viable forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores.

Anaphylaxis

A severe, acute, and potentially life-threatening systemic allergic reaction that requires immediate treatment with epinephrine via an EpiPen.

Autoimmune Disorder

A condition in which the immune system fails to recognize self-antigens and attacks the body's own healthy tissues and organs.

Lymphedema

Swelling caused by the abnormal buildup of lymph fluid in soft body tissues, commonly occurring after damage to or surgical removal of lymph nodes (e.g., following breast cancer treatment).

CLASBI

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection; a primary laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection developing in a patient who had a central venous catheter within 48 hours prior to the infection.

CAUTI

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection; a healthcare-acquired infection of the urinary tract occurring in a patient who has an indwelling urinary catheter.

SSI

Surgical Site Infection; a healthcare-associated infection that develops at or near the incision site following an operative procedure.

Cluster

An aggregation of relatively uncommon disease cases or health events grouped closely together in time and geographic space.

Outbreak

A sudden occurrence of disease cases in excess of normal expectancy within a defined community, geographical area, or facility.

Pseudo-outbreak

A false or artificial rise in reported cases of disease or positive lab cultures, frequently caused by laboratory processing errors, surveillance artifacts, or specimen contamination.

Endemic

The constant presence or baseline prevalence of an infectious disease or agent within a given geographic area or specific population group.

Epidemic

A widespread, unexpected increase in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally anticipated in a particular population or region.

Pandemic

An epidemic that has spread over multiple countries or continents, typically affecting a large proportion of the global population.

Sporadic

A disease that occurs irregularly, infrequently, and haphazardly in scattered instances without an established pattern.

Swiss Cheese Model

A system defense model illustrating how accidents or hospital-acquired infections occur when momentary flaws or 'holes' across multiple distinct defensive barriers align.