Lab Safety & Infection Control

Acquired Immunity

Immunity to a particular disease that is not innate but has been acquired during life

Blood-borne pathogens

Disease-causing organisms transferred through contact with blood or other body fluids

Contagious disease

An infectious disease that is capable of being transmitted from one person to another.

Acute disease

Disease having a rapid onset, severe symptoms, and a short course or duration

Infection

The invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms and their multiplication which can lead to tissue damage and disease

AIDS

A serious (often fatal) disease of the immune system transmitted through blood products especially by sexual contact or contaminated needles

Disinfection

Destruction of pathogens by chemical or physical means

Contaminants

Substances that can cause contamination

Allergy

A condition that makes a person become ill or develop skin or breathing problems because they have eaten certain foods or been near certain substances

Sanitation

The development and practical application of measures that promote cleanliness and protect health.

Bacteriology

The branch of medical science that studies bacteria in relation to disease

Disease

Any change, other than an injury, that disrupts the normal functions of the body

Bacteria

Single-celled microorganisms that reproduce by cell division and may cause infection by invading body tissue

Diagnosis

The recognition of a disease or injury by symptoms; a critical analysis of the nature of something

Toxins

Chemical poisons that are harmful to the body

Alcohol

Disinfectant used to sanitize metal implements

Asymptomatic

Having no symptoms of illness or disease

Bleach

A chemical compound used to whiten or make lighter, such as hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite

Contamination

The act of introducing disease germs or infectious material into an area or substance

Decontamination

The removal or cleansing of dangerous chemicals and other dangerous or infectious materials.

Disinfection

Treatment to destroy harmful microorganisms

Efficacy

Effectiveness

Exposure Incident

Contact with non-intact skin, blood, body fluid or other potentially infectious materials that results from performance of an employees duties

Fumigants

Toxic gases such as methyl bromine that are used to kill pests

Fungi

Group of simple, plantlike animals that live on dead organic matter

Glutaraldehyde

High-level disinfectant used on semicritical items that cannot be exposed to heat

OSHA

A government agency in the Department of Labor to maintain a safe and healthy work environment

Parasite

An organism that lives in or on another organism

Phenois

A toxic disinfectant

Quats

Disinfectants that are considered nontoxic, odorless, and fast acting.

Sterilization

The procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)

Universal Precautions

Set of guidelines and controls, published by the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), that require the employer and the employee to assume that all human blood and specified human body fluids are infectious for HIV, HBV, and other bloodborne pathogens

Virus

A submicroscopic organism that invades cells