Infectious disease Flashcards
Any illness caused by a specific microorganism.
Infectious disease
An infectious disease that can be passed from person to person.
Communicable disease
Person that serves as a liaison between agency and community health agencies involved in monitoring and responding to communicable diseases.
Designated Infection Control Officer (DICO)
Signed into law in 1990 that required emergency responders to be notified if they have been exposed to infectious disease.
Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency Act
Cleaning that destroys all forms of microbial life.
Sterilization
Cleaning that destroys all forms of microbial life except high numbers of bacterial spores.
High-level disinfection
Cleaning that destroys M tuberculosis, most viruses, vegetative bacteria, and most fungi, but not bacterial spore.
Intermediate-level disinfection
Cleaning that destroys some viruses, most bacteria, and some fungi, but not M tuberculosis or bacterial spores.
Low-level disinfection
Cleaning that cleans soiled surfaces in the environment, such as floors, ambulance seats, and countertops.
Environmental disinfection
Produces antibodies.
B cells
Group of proteins that coat bacteria and help to kill them directly.
Complement system
Works with the lymphatic system to dispose of the debris left in the wake of the immune system’s attack on invading organisms.
Reticuloendothelial system
Degree of the pathogenicity of the infectious agent.
Virulence
Immune status of the host.
Resistance
Human or animal that is exposed to the infectious agent.
Host
Organism that can cause disease in the human host.
Pathogen
What is more difficult to eradicate because they reside in cells for most of their life cycle and become intricately enmeshed in the host cell’s DNA.
Viruses
The method by which a pathogenic agent leaves one host to invade another.
Portal of exit
The route between portal of exit and portal of entry.
Mode of transmission
Means by which the pathogenic agent enters a new host.
Portal of entry
Influenced by a person’s immune response. (How well they will allow a pathogen to infect them)
Host susceptibility
Skin and mucous membranes of the digestive, respiratory, and GU tracts.
External barriers
Agents that could produce disease if allowed access to the interior of the body.
Indigenous flora
What two ways does intact skin defend the body against infection?
Prevents penetration of the pathogens
Maintains an acidic pH level
Protect the body against microorganisms when the external lines of defense cannot.
Internal barriers
Local reaction to cellular injury.
Inflammation
Three stages of inflammatory response.
Cellular response to injury
Vascular response to injury
Phagocytosis
Increased blood flow to the area.
Hyperemia
Chemicals that attract more leukocytes to the area.
Chemotactic factors
Stages of infectious disease.
Latent period
Incubation period
Communicability period
Disease period
Period in which the pathogen invades the body but cannot be passed or shed to someone else.
Latent period
Interval between exposure to the pathogen and the first onset of symptoms.
Incubation period
Lasts as long as the agent is present and can be spread to other hosts.
Communicability period
Follows the incubation period; the period in which the disease is attacking the body.
Disease period
Present in blood and serum-derived body fluids of people infected with the virus. Passed through anal or vaginal intercourse.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Cell-receptors located on the surface of T cells sought by HIV.
CD4 T-cells
Infections that develop as the immune system deteriorates.
Opportunistic infections
Stage of HIV infection that generally occurs 2-4 weeks after exposure. Transient decrease in CD4 T-cell count.
Stage 1: Acute HIV infection
Stage of HIV infection that pt may not have symptoms because virus is still reproducing slowly.
Stage 2: Clinical latency
Stage of HIV infection in which pt develops symptoms and have a CD4 T-cell count of less than 200/mcL or the presence of an opportunistic infection.
Stage 3: AIDS
Risk of HIV transmission with a needle stick.
0.04% - 5%
Inflammation of the liver that can have many causes including infection, drugs, and alcohol.
Hepatitis
Vaccine preventable infection of the liver by ingesting contaminated food or drink or by the fecal-oral route. Does not develop into chronic liver disease.
Hep A virus
Liver infection caused by infectious blood and in secretions containing serum as well as in secretions derived from serum. Vaccine is available.
Hep B virus
Liver infection caused by infectious blood and in secretions containing serum as well as in secretions derived from serum. Vaccine is NOT available. Most pts are asymptomatic.
Hep C virus
Chronic pulmonary disease that is obtained through inhalation of a dried-droplet nucleus containing tubercle bacilli.
Tuberculosis
TB in which pt has no symptoms, does not feel sick, is not contagious, normal chest radiograph, but needs treatment to prevent flare-up.
Latent TB infection
TB in which pt has symptoms (bad, productive, bloody cough, weight loss, chills, fever, night sweats), feels sick, is contagious, positive chest radiograph, and needs treatment.
Active TB disease
How can early detection of TB be found?
Skin test
Precautions for TB.
Airborne
Rapidly progressing disease that affects the meninges of the brain and spinal cord and can cause death within hours.
Bacterial meningitis
Precautions for meningitis.
Droplet
Caused by N meningitidis; most common cause of bacterial meningitis in teens and youngadults, as wells as the deadliest cause of bacterial meningitis.
Meningococcal meningitis
Most common cause of bacterial meningitis in newborns secondary to exposure to this pathogen in the birth canal to a positive mother.
GBS (group B Streptococcus)
Syndrome generally associated with an existing systemic viral disease. Less severe and usually pts recover fully.
Viral meningitis
Involuntary flexion of the arm, hip, and knee when the neck is passively flexed.
Brudzinski sign
Loss of the ability in a seated or supine patient to completely extend the knee due to pain when the thigh is flexed on the abdomen.
Kernig sign
Stiff neck from meningeal irritation.
Nuchal rigidity
Infection of the endocardium and one or more heart valves.
Bacterial endocarditis
Acute inflammation of the bronchioles and alveoli.
Pneumonia
Congenital absence or surgical removal of the spleen.
Asplenia
Rare, sometimes fatal, noncommunicable disease of the CNS caused by infection of a wound with spores of Clostridium tetani.
Tetanus
Most common symptom of tetanus.
Trismus
Acute viral infection of the CNS caused by a bite from an infected animal.
Rabies
What time frame must immunizations be given to almost always prevent development of rabies.
Within 2 days
Caused by flavivirus.
Dengue fever
Caused by a mosquito-borne parasite, rather than a virus as with other mosquito-borne illness.
Malaria
Causes life-threatening diarrhea.
Clostridium difficile
Group of untreatable and heard-to-treat infections caused by bacteria.
CRE
STD that can result in discharge and inflammation at the urethra, cervix, pharynx, or rectum.
Gonorrhea
Mild, febrile, and highly communicable viral disease caused by the rubella virus.
Rash less than 3 days
May develop self-limiting arthritis
Rubella (German measles)
Acquired when an infected pregnant woman passes the disease to her unborn child.
Congenital rubella syndrome
Acute, highly communicable viral disease that is caused by the measles virus.
Fever
Conjunctivitis
Cough and bronchitis
Rash over 3 days
Koplik spots
Rubeola (Measles)
Acute communicable systemic viral disease that causes localized edema of one or more of the salivary glands.
Mumps
Common childhood disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Highly communicable; characterized by sudden low-grade fever, skin eruption that develops into vesicles that leave a granular scab.
Chickenpox
Reactivation of the chickenpox in which the virus has remained in the dorsal root ganglia and resurfaced during periods of stress or immunosuppression.
Shingles
Infectious disease that mainly affects infants and young children. Inflammation of the entire respiratory tract and characterized by “whoop” cough.
Pertussis
Very common respiratory illness that infects the lower respiratory tract and can cause serious illness in infants younger than 1 year old.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
Infection of the upper airway in young children. Low-grade fever, rhinorrhea, and “seal-like” cough.
Croup
Infection of the epiglottis that most often occurs in children less than 5 years old. High fever, sore throat, respiratory distress, and drooling.
Epiglottitis
Respiratory infection that is spread by sneezing or coughing the virus- infected droplets. Virus mutates rapidly and new vaccine every year.
Influenza
Viral respiratory illness caused by coronavirus.
SARS
Caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and is spread via the oropharyngeal route.
Mononucleosis
Disease that can be passed from person to person through sexual activity.
STD
Systemic disease that can have serious long-term complications. Primary stage (10-90 days) has chancres. Secondary stage (2-10 weeks) develops rash on the palms and soles.
Syphilis
Spinal column degeneration characterized by a wide gait and ataxia.
Tabes dorsalis
STD caused by bacteria and is spread by contact with fluids and pus from infected mucous membranes.
Gonorrhea
