Chapter 16. Infection Control

Question 1

Asepsis

Answer 1

freedom from infection

Question 2

Bacteria

Answer 2

prokaryotic, ubiquitous, single-celled organisms.

Question 3

Chemotherapy

Answer 3

treatment of disease by chemical agents.

Question 4

Cyst

Answer 4

stage in the life cycle of certain parasites during which they are enclosed in a protective wall.

Question 5

Dimorphic

Answer 5

occurring in two distinct forms.

Question 6

Diseases

Answer 6

deviations from or interruptions of the normal structure or function of any part.

Question 7

Disinfectants

Answer 7

chemicals used to free an environment from pathogenic organisms or to render such organisms inert, especially as applied to the treatment of inanimate materials to reduce or eliminate infectious organisms.

Question 8

Eukaryotes

Answer 8

organisms whose cells have a true nucleus.

Question 9

Flora

Answer 9

microbial community found on or in a healthy person.

Question 10

Fomite

Answer 10

object, such as a book, wooden object, or article of clothing, that is not in itself harmful but is able to harbor pathogenic microorganisms and thus may serve as an agent of transmission of an infection.

Question 11

Fungi

Answer 11

general term used to denote a group of eukaryotic protists — including mushrooms, yeasts, rusts, molds, and smuts,– that are characterized by the absence of chlorophyll and by the presence of a rigid cell wall.

Question 12

Host

Answer 12

animal or plant that harbors or nourishes another organism.

Question 13

Iatrogenic

Answer 13

resulting from the activities of physicians.

Question 14

Immunity

Answer 14

security against a particular disease.

Question 15

Infection

Answer 15

invasion and multiplication of microorganisms in body tissues that may be clinically inapparent or may result in local cellular injury as a result of competitive metabolism, toxins, intracellular replication, or antigen-antibody response.

Question 16

Medical Asepsis

Answer 16

reduction in numbers of infectious agents, which, in turn, decreases the probability of infection but does not necessarily reduce it to zero.

Question 17

Microorganisms

Answer 17

microscopic organisms; those of medical interest include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.

Question 18

Nosocomial

Answer 18

pertaining to or originating in the hospital; said of an infection not present or incubating before admittance to the hospital but generally developing 72 hours after admittance.

Question 19

Pathogens

Answer 19

disease-producing microorganisms

Question 20

Prokaryotes

Answer 20

cellular organisms that lack a true nucleus

Question 21

Protozoa

Answer 21

a subkingdom comprising the simplest organisms of the animal kingdom, consisting of unicellular organisms that range in size from submicroscopic to macroscopic; most are free living, but some lead commensalistic, mutualistic, or parasitic existences.

Question 22

Reservoir

Answer 22

alternate or passive host or carrier that harbors pathogenic organisms, without injury to itself, and serves as a source from which other individuals can be infected.

Question 23

Standard Precautions

Answer 23

precautions to prevent the transmission of disease by body fluids and substances.

Question 24

Sterilization

Answer 24

complete destruction or elimination of all living microorganisms, accomplished by physical methods, (dry or moist heat) chemical agents (ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, alcohol), radiation (ultraviolet, cathode), or mechanical methods (filtration).

Question 25

Surgical Asepsis

Answer 25

procedure used to prevent contamination by microbes and endospores before, during, or after surgery using sterile technique.

Question 26

Vaccine

Answer 26

suspension of attenuated or killed microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, or rickettsiae) administered for the prevention, improvement, or treatment of infectious disease.

Question 27

Vector

Answer 27

carrier, especially an animal (usually an arthropod), that transfers an infective agent from one host to another.

Question 28

Virion

Answer 28

complete viral particle found extracellularly and capable of surveying in crystalline form and infecting a living cell; comprises the nucleoid (genetic material) and the capsid; also call viral particle.

Question 29

Viruses

Answer 29

any of a group of minute infectious agents not resolved in the light microscope, with certain exceptions (e.g., poxvirus) and characterized by a lack of independent metabolism and by the ability to replicate only with living host cells.

Question 30

Microorganisms that cause infectious diseases can be classified as

Answer 30

Pathogenic

Question 31

The best method of preventing the spread of aerosol infections is by

Answer 31

the patient’s wearing a mask

Question 32

All of the following are types of indirect transmission except

Answer 32

touching

Question 33

The common cold is an example of an infection by a

Answer 33

virus

Question 34

The term that best describes the absolute removal of all life forms is

Answer 34

sterilization

Question 35

A person is bitten by a mosquito and develops an infection. This type of transmission is known as

Answer 35

vector

Question 36

A health care worker is accidentally punctured with a contaminated needle. This type of transmission is known as

Answer 36

fomite

Question 37

An outpatient develops a staphylococcal infection after a surgical procedure. This type of transmission is known as

Answer 37

Nosocomial

Question 38

An infectious microbe can gain entrance into the human body by

Answer 38

Ingression and Penetration

Question 39

Hand washing employs which of the following methods of infection control?

Answer 39

Chemical and physical.