Vocabulary Review Flashcards

Flashcards containing vocabulary terms and definitions.

VIRUS

A micro-organism that causes infections and diseases.

BACTERIUM

A single-cell micro-organism that reproduces rapidly and causes many infections.

FUNGUS

A micro-organism that grows on or in animals, plants, humans, and food including yeast and mold.

PROTOZOAN

A single-cell parasite that replicates rapidly once inside a living host.

MUCOUS MEMBRANE

The moist inner lining of tubular structures including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines.

FOMITE

Any nonliving object or substance capable of carrying infectious organisms.

IMMUNOCOMPROMISED

Having an impaired immune response, usually as a result of disease, medication therapy, or surgery.

VARICELLA

A viral infection that causes a blister-like rash, itching, fatigue, and fever (chickenpox).

TUBERCULOSIS

A bacterial infection of the lungs that causes fever, cough, weight loss, chills, and night sweats.

MEASLES

A virus that causes fever, cough, runny nose, blotchy rash, and tiny white spots inside the mouth.

MENINGITIS

An infection of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.

HERPES SIMPLEX

A virus that causes blisters either around the mouth and lips (cold cores) or genital area.

SCABIES

Itchy skin rash resulting from mites burrowing under the skin.

ERYTHEMA

Redness

EDEMA

An excessive buildup of fluid in body tissue.

DILATE

Expand or widen

INFLAMMATION

A normal part of the body's response to injury or infection. Symptoms include erythema, edema, pain, and heat.

LYMNPHADENOPATHY

Swollen lymph nodes.

ANTIBIOTIC

Medication that kills bacteria.

IMMUNE SYSTEM

The organs and structures that regulate the body's resistance to disease.

ORAL CANADIDIASIS

A fungal infection of the mouth.

RUBELLA

A virus that causes fever and a rash and can cause serious harm to the fetus if a person develops this illness during pregnancy (German measles).

CHEMICAL REAGENT STRIP TESTING

A method of urinalysis involving the use of plastic strips with pads containing a substance that causes a specific chemical reaction.

PNEUMATIC TUBE SYSTEM

A method of transportation and distribution of laboratory test results and other documents.

CHAIN OF CUSTODY

The chronological documentation (paper trail) showing the acquisition, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of specimens that provide evidence.

FORENSIC SPECIMENS

Samples of legal value in a civil or criminal case.

BLOOD DOPING

Injection of blood cells or blood substitutes to increase athletic endurance by boosting the bloodstreams oxygen-carrying capacity.

ERYTHROPOIETIN

A medication for patients who have chemotherapy to treat cancer; also used illicitly by some athletes to boost production of red blood cells and thus increase endurance.

POINT OF CARE TESTING (POCT)

At or near the patient or at the patient's bedside.

REFERENCE LABORATORY

A laboratory that is outside a patient care facility and can perform many more types of testing than are available at the average hospital's laboratory.

BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT (BAC)

The concentration of alcohol in a person's bloodstream.

CRITICAL VALUE

A laboratory test result outside of the expected range that can be life threatening.

ALIQUOT

To divide specimen into smaller portions.

DILUENT

A solution (such as water or saline) that reduces the concentration of a specimen.

CENTRIFUGE

A device that spins laboratory specimens at high speeds to separate the samples into their components for testing purposes.

BIOLOGIC HAZARD

Also known as biohazard; any biological risk to organisms.

THERMOLABILE

Sensitivity to high temperatures.

PHOTOSENSITIVITY

An abnormal reaction to or a change resulting from exposure to light.

STOOL

Solid waste the intestines eliminate through the anus; fecal matter.

CEREBROSPINAL FLUID

Liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

AMNIOTIC FLUID

Liquid that surrounds a fetus inside the sac in the uterus.

URINARY CATHETER

A tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine from the body.

pH

A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, with a low pH indication acidity and a high pH indicating alkalinity.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY

A measure of concentration.

HEMOGLOBIN

The red, oxygen-carrying portion of red blood cells.

RANDOM URINE

A urine specimen collected at any time of day for screening purposes; no preparation is required.

KETONES

Acids that form from the breakdown of fatty acids in the absence of insulin.

BILIRUBIN

Yellow or orange product of the breakdown of hemoglobin.

CULTURE AND SENSITIVITY

A test is performed to check for urinary tract infection.

CLEAN-CATCH MIDSTREAM

A method of performing a urine collection that helped prevent bacterial contamination.

GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST (GTT)

A test performed to determine how well a patient's body metabolizes sugar.

POSTPRANDIAL

After a meal.

SALIVA TEST

A collection of the fluids from the patient's oral cavity to help monitor hormone, drug, and alcohol levels.

FECAL TEST

A collection of stool or feces to test for the presence of parasites, blood, or an infection.

BLOOD CULTURE

A laboratory test used to check for bacteria or other micro-organisms in a blood sample.

AEROBIC BLOOD CULTURE BOTTLE

Type of blood culture bottle used to collect specimens to test for microbes that thrive in air.

ANAEROBIC BLOOD CULTURE BOTTLE

Type of blood culture bottle used to collect specimens to test for microbes that thrive in an airless environment.

CHLORHEXIDINE GLUCONATE

An antiseptic antibacterial agent used to help cleanse the patient's skin for blood collection.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Lab standards the CDC established to help maintain the highest level of test accuracy possible.

CLIA-WAIVED

Tests of the least complexity to perform and with a low risk for error.

HEMATOCRIT

Portion of blood that is expressed as a percentage by volume & consists of packaged red blood cells.

IATROGENIC ANEMIA

Anemia caused by collecting to much blood from a patient by volume in a given amount of time.

HEMOLYSIS

Destruction of red blood cells

PERIPHERAL BLOOD SMEAR

a thin-layer of blood smeared on a microscope slide & then stained to allow microscopic examination.

BLOOD SMEAR

A blood test procedure performed on microscopic slides that gives info about the number & shape of blood cells.

CAPILLARY PUNCTURE

Also known as a dermal puncture or finger stick, used to collect small samples of blood composed of capillary, venous or arterial blood.

CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Mucous secretions that accumulate in various organs.

HYPOTHYROIDISM

Decrease thyroid function.

PHENYLKETONURIA (PKU)

A metabolic genetic disorder characterized by a deficiency in the hepatic enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. Classic PKU causes permanent intellectual disability, seizures, delayed development, behavioral problems, psychiatric disorders, a mousy body odor, lightening of skin & hair, & eczema. Phenylalanine can be found in most foods; if not broken down, it can rise to toxic levels in infants. Brian damage can occur when phenylketone levels become toxic.

GALACTOSEMIA

Lack of an enzyme that breaks down galactose (a milk sugar) into glucose. If untreated, the infant can slowly starve to death.

BIOTINIDASE DEFICIENCY

Deficiency of the enzyme that breaks down biotin.

SICKLE CELL DISEASE

Abnormal hemoglobin structure.