Infection Control and Chain of Infection Flashcards

Vocabulary terms and health protocols related to the chain of infection, transmission modes, and clinical aseptic techniques.

Pathogens

Microbes capable of causing disease.

Reservoir

The environment where the pathogen lives before it infects a person, which can include people, animals, food, water, soil, or inanimate objects.

Fomite

A nonliving material, such as bed linens, that can carry and transmit pathogens.

Immunity

The state where a person's body is familiar with a disease from previous exposure or vaccine, preventing them from getting sick with it again.

MRO

Multi resistant drug organisms; highly strong bacteria that cannot be easily treated.

Clostridium difficile (C. Diff)

A highly contagious infection characterized by fever, vomiting, and unending diarrhea with a distinctive odor.

MRSA

Meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus; a pathogen often found in wounds that is spread through direct contact.

Direct contact transmission

Infection spread occurs by touching an infected or colonized person, such as during bathing, shaking hands, or turning a person in bed.

Indirect contact transmission

Infection spread occurs by touching contaminated inanimate objects like glass, spoons, plates, wound dressings, or medical equipment.

Droplet transmission

Occurs when microbes are spread across short distances in the air by droplets, typically settling within one meter.

Airborne transmission

Occurs when microbes are transmitted across distances farther than one meter through air currents.

Vehicle transmission

Spread of microbes via food, water, medication, invasive medical equipment, or body fluids.

Vector borne transmission

Transmission of disease through carriers like insects or animals, such as malaria or leptospirosis from rat saliva or urine.

Leptospirosis

A disease transmitted through the saliva and urine of infected rats/mice, often entering the body through skin openings when in contact with floodwater.

Hand hygiene duration

The proper time for handwashing or sanitizing is between $15$ and $30$ seconds.

Medical asepsis

Also known as clean technique; used to reduce or eliminate the number of pathogens and prevent their spread, achieving about $80\%$ to $90\%$ effectiveness.

Surgical asepsis

Also known as sterile technique; keeps equipment and supplies free of all pathogens and spores, achieving $99.9\%$ to $100\%$ effectiveness.

Biohazard garbage bags

Special disposal bags used for PPE and materials containing pathogens, separate from regular garbage.

Secretion

Discharges from the nose, wound, ear, or mouth.

Excretion

Waste products from the body such as poop or pee.

Care Rule of Order

Top to bottom, front to back, and cleanest to dirtiest (e.g., eyes before face).