(C) Biological Safety Flashcards
What are the three principle routes of organism transmission?
Contact, droplet, and airborne.
Define direct transmission.
Occurs when microorganisms are transferred from one infected person to another person without a contaminated intermediate object or person.
After touching an infected or colonized body site on a patient or a contaminated inanimate object and hand hygiene is not performed before touching another patient is an example of what type of contact transmission.
Indirect transmission.
Define droplet transmission.
Respiratory droplets carrying infectious agents are transmitted directly from the respiratory tract of the infectious individual to susceptible mucosal surface of the recipient.
Disease transmission when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks is an example of what type of transmission?
Droplet transmission.
Define airborne transmission.
Airborne transmission occurs when infectious agents travel in droplets nuclei that become aerosolized and are inhaled.
Define Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP).
Microorganisms that are present in human blood and body fluids that can cause disease in humans.
What two body fluids are not considered infectious?
Urine and tears.
Define the Percutaneous mode of transmission of BBP.
Direct inoculation of blood/OPIM by piercing through the skin barrier (needlestick).
Define the Mucocutaneous mode of transmission of BBP.
Exposure of blood or OPIM to mucous membranes (splashes) or non-intact skin (pre-existing lesions).
The goal of the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogen Standard is to eliminate or minimize occupational exposure to…
Hep B, Hep C, HIV, and other bloodborne pathogens.
An Exposure Control Plan (ECP) includes…
- Methods of compliance to the BBP standard
- Communication of hazards to employees
- Hep B vaccination
- Post exposure evaluation
What virus is relatively easy to transmit via blood exposure; 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV.
Hep B.
What disease can survive outside the body for at least 7 days?
Hep B.
Define biosafety.
Application of safety practices that reduce the risk of an exposure to a potentially infectious microbe and limit contamination of the work environment.
Define biosafety level.
Set of bio-containment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents.
How is the biosafety level determined.
Based on degree of risk posed by the materials and the activities that are done with the materials.
Define biosafety level 1.
Low-risk organisms. Agents not known to cause disease in healthy adults.
Define biosafety level 2.
Pathogenic organisms. Transmitted via percutaneous, ingestion, or mucous membrane exposure.
Define biosafety level 3.
Pathogenic organisms. Indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease, transmitted generally through inhalation.
Define biosafety level 4.
Dangerous/exotic agents posing high individual risk of frequently fatal infections, usually by the aerosol route. No known vaccines or treatments are available.
Define Universal Precaution.
Approach to infection control in which all human blood and certain body fluids are treated as if they are known to be infectious.
Define Standard Precautions.
- Hand hygiene
- Use of certain PPE based on anticipated exposure
- Safe injection practices
- Safe management of contaminated equipment
- Applied to all patients even when they are not known or suspected to be infectious
Define Contact Precautions.
For patients with known or suspected infections that represent an increased risk for contact transmission.
- Patient in a single room
- PPE includes gloves and gowns, donned prior to room entry and discarded before exiting patient room
- Used dedicated patient-care equipment or disinfect before use on another patient
- Increased cleaning/disinfecting of patient room
