Chapter 15- Medical Overview

Question 1

A virus that has crossed the animal/human barrier and infected humans and that kills thousands of people every year.

Answer 1

influenza

Question 2

A common virus that is asymptomatic in 80% of people carrying it, but characterized by small blisters on the lips or genitals in symptomatic infections.

Answer 2

herpes simplex

Question 3

An inflammation of the meningeal coverings of the brain and spinal cord; can be highly contagious.

Answer 3

meningococcal meningitis

Question 4

The strength or ability of a pathogen to produce disease.

Answer 4

virulence

Question 5

An inflammation of the meningeal coverings of the brain and spinal cord; it is usually caused by a virus or a bacterium.

Answer 5

meningitis

Question 6

Occurs when new cases of a disease in a human population substantially exceed the number expected based on recent experience.

Answer 6

epidemic

Question 7

An outbreak that occurred in a global scale.

Answer 7

pandemic

Question 8

A bacterium that can cause infections in different parts of the body and is often resistant to commonly used antibiotics; it is transmitted by different routes, including the respiratory route, and can be found on the skin, in surgical wounds, and in the bloodstream, lungs, and urinary tract.

Answer 8

methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Question 9

A disease that can be spread from one person or species to another.

Answer 9

communicable disease

Question 10

A medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within the body.

Answer 10

infectious disease

Question 11

Emergencies that are not caused by an outside force; illnesses or conditions.

Answer 11

medical emergencies

Question 12

Awareness that unseen life-threatening injuries may exist when determining the mechanism of injury.

Answer 12

index of suspicion

Question 13

The general type of illness a patient is experiencing.

Answer 13

nature of illness

Question 14

A chronic bacterial disease, caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis, that usually affects the lungs but can also affect other organs such as the brain and kidneys; it is spread by cough and can lie dormant in a person’s lungs for decades and then reactivate.

Answer 14

tuberculosis

Question 15

Emergencies that are the result of physical forces applied to the body; injuries.

Answer 15

trauma emergencies