BLOCK 5: PHYSICAL/BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS AND CONTROLS - Unit 9: Biological Health Hazards (complete) Flashcards
A microorganism, or a toxin derived from a microorganism, which causes disease in man, plants, or animals or which causes the deterioration of material.
BIOLOGICAL AGENT
The intentional use of viruses, bacteria, other microorganisms, or toxins derived from living organisms to cause death or disease in humans, animals, or plants.
BIOLOGICAL WARFARE
A microorganism able to cause disease.
PATHOGEN
Microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS
(1) The following human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids;
(2) Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and
(3) HIV containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV or HBV containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.
OTHER POTENTIALLY INFECTIOUS MATERIALS (OPIM)
A general term applied to the entry and development/multiplication of an infectious agent in the body of people, animals, or plants.
INFECTION
A microorganism is able to overcome the defense barriers and live inside the host; tissue damage may or may not result. (Microbiology for the Health Sciences, 14th ed.)
Refers to those conditions where the host‘s tissues are damaged or their function is altered by the microorganisms. Disease is usually recognized by a sequence of signs and symptoms.
DISEASE
Infection results from an orderly progression of events which is referred to as the ____________________ and is represented here. Each link must be present for infection to
occur.
CHAIN OF INFECTION
The six conditions or links necessary for infection and illness to occur are as follows:
1. The agent must be pathogenic.
2. There must be a reservoir of a sufficient number for the organism to live and reproduce.
3. The agent must be able to escape from the reservoir.
4. The organism must be transferable or able to move or be moved through the environment
by various means.
5. There must be a portal of entry to the new host.
6. The new host must be susceptible to the agent. (The Occupational Environment: Its Evaluation, Control and Management, AIHA)
If any one of the links in the chain is broken, the infection/disease cannot spread.
Infection control is breaking any link in the chain.
TRUE OR FALSE:
Humans have microorganisms on every surface and in every external orifice of their bodies; however, only a small proportion of those agents is capable of producing an infection that could lead to disease.
TRUE
Individuals who harbor communicable infectious agents without exhibiting signs of disease are called _______________.
CARRIERS
They can be a source of infection in co-workers, especially if the agent is transmitted by the aerosol route (as with measles or tuberculosis).
What are the four major ways a pathogen, whether found in a workplace or used in terrorist attacks, enters the body?
1.) INHALATION
2.) ABSORBTION VIA DERMAL (SKIN) CONTACT
3.) INGESTION
4.) INJECTION
______________________ is the most commonly encountered cause of occupational disease.
ABSORBTION VIA DERMAL CONTACT
The act of breathing a substance directly into the lungs.
Biological agents entering the body via this route may not only affect the lungs and associated structures but may spread to other organs via the blood stream, causing further adverse effects.
INHALATION
The main routes of entry for chemicals through the skin are the hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and cuts or abrasions of the outer layers of the skin.
ABSORBTION VIA DERMAL CONTACT
Refers to taking the substance into the stomach, usually through eating or drinking.
INGESTION
Many times, ingestion of a harmful substance is ________________
ACCIDENTAL
For example, if workers do not wash their hands before they eat, drink, or smoke, they may contaminate their food, drink, or cigarette and then ingest the contaminant. Personnel may also ingest food or water which was deliberately contaminated as an act of bioterrorism.
Although not a common route of transmission in many industrial shops, it more frequently occurs in places where there are contaminated needles and/or sharp instruments used such as hospitals or medical laboratories. For example, if someone were to accidentally get cut or stuck by a needle, then that person can be exposed to the contaminant that was on or in the needle.
INJECTION
Another way to receive an injection hazard is through pressurized air. A strong pressure of air can push or inject a substance into the skin due to the strong pounds per square inch (psi).
The oldest and most abundant life forms on earth and are found almost everywhere.
BACTERIA
This photo is of Streptococcus bacteria.
Bacteria invade host tissues or produce toxins (some do both), and usually respond well to antibiotics.
Nonliving infectious agents. They are intracellular parasites that are totally dependent on a living host and require living host cells in order to replicate.
VIRUSES
Viruses can cause infectious diseases and are not treatable with antibiotics. This makes them hard to fight. Vaccines are a valuable tool to prepare our bodies to fight some viruses (and some bacteria). Examples of diseases caused by viruses are common colds; warts; influenza; hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E; herpes; poliovirus; and rabies.
This picture is of the virus responsible for the common cold.
Viruses that are transmitted to vertebrates, such as people and mammals, by blood-feeding insects called arthropods, such as mosquitoes.
ARBOVIRUSES (ARTHRPOD-BORNE VIRUSES)
Examples of arboviruses that are transmitted to people by mosquitoes include West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, and Ebola virus.
The pic above is the Ebola virus.
Any harmful substance produced by living organisms (animals, plants, microbes).
TOXIN
Examples of toxins that may be used as biological agents include botulinum toxins, ricin, staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), and T-2 mycotoxins.
The pic above is the toxin Ricin, found naturally in the beans of the caster bean plant, and is stable under normal conditions.
Mushrooms, molds, and yeast and are commonly found in degrading organic matter.
FUNGI
Some fungi may cause disease varying in severity from superficial skin conditions to widely spread infections affecting internal organs. Examples of diseases caused by fungi include ―ringworm (tinea capitis), coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis.
Inhaling the spores of fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum (in the pic) leads to histoplasmosis. Commonly found in bird or bat droppings.
_______________ live in or on the host and get their nutrients from the host.
PARASITES
The pic is of Toxoplasma Gondii, which leads to toxoplasmosis.
A family of rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals; they progress rapidly and are always fatal.
PRION DISEASES
