Intro to Biosecurity

Question 1

Risk Assessment

Answer 1

Questions to Consider:

1. Where does the threat come from?
2. What weakness does this threat have?
3. What can make our patients vulnerable?
4. What consequences can this threat bring to those patients?
5. What strategy and weapons do we have at our disposal to combat these daily threats?
6. What are our practices’ Strengths and weaknesses?

Question 2

Bio - Security

Answer 2

Infection prevention and biosecurity are an essential part of patent care and should play and important role in the daily practice of veterinary medicine. All team members must maximize measures to prevent the spread o infectious pathogens as pat of the car they provide to their patients andclients. An effective infection prevention d biosecurity program is an integral part of the One Health Initiative, a movement put into place to protect humans, animals, and the environment from the negative impact of pathogens.

Question 3

Contamination

Answer 3

1. Introduction of foreign material or infectious microorganisms into an Environment or host’s tissues or body
2. Corruption of any pur or sterile item or surface with foreign, non-sterile organisms or particles

Question 4

Sources of Micriobial Contamination

Answer 4

• Endogeneous- An oganism already PRESENT in the patient
  
  • Ex: Bactterial flora in the GI tract
• Exogenous- Microbes NOT normally present in the body but introduced by vector or fomite
• Nosocomial Infection- Hospital acquired infection
  
  • Ex: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Question 5

Infection

Answer 5

Multiplication of microbial organisms in a body/wound to a levelthat causes the host to suffer a disease stat or trigger alocal or systemic immune response.

• Mirco-Organisms: Viral, Bacterial, Fungal or Parasites/Protozoal
• “clinical” - appear to be suffereing from infection
• ” subclinical” - appear fine, but still infected and spreading illness

Question 6

Transmission Sources

Answer 6

• Fomites: Surface items (phone, stethescope, door handle, etc)
• Vectors: Living organisms that spread disease (parasites, mosquitos, animals, etc)

Question 7

Transmission Routes

Answer 7

• Indirect: Air-borne / Droplet (Ex: sneezing, coughing)
• Direct: Contact with an infected host or contaminatd fomite / Vector- born (Ex: Blood, animals, parasites, etc)

Question 8

Zoonotic & Zooanthroponosis

Answer 8

Zoonotic: Cross infection potential between animals and humans (Bacterial, Viral, or Fungal)

Zooanthroponosis: Reverse zoonosis, animals can catch from humans

Question 9

Cleaning Terminology

Answer 9

• Cleaning Agent: A process/product that removes gross contamination from a surface (Ex: dirt, dust, oils, etc) The first step in any level of cleaning
• Sanitation: To REDUCE microbial / viral / fungal counts on inanimate surfaces.
• Disinfection: To KILL the microbial / viral / fungal organisms on inanimate surfaces, if used according to label directions
  
  • May not kill spores
  • May not work if the surface is also dirty (covered in hair, dirt, etc)
• Sterilization: A process to eliminate ALL FORMS of living organisms (including spores) in areas or surfaces exposed to the appropriate conditions
  
  • Heat / Steam / Time / Pressure (autoclave), Gas (or chemical agent), H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) plasma or vapor

Question 10

Biological Hazards

Answer 10

Risk to humans too:

• ~61% of known human pathogens are zoonotic
  
  • More than 50 are of importance in the US
• ~75% of emerging diseases affecting humans are zoonotic

Question 11

Infection Prevention

Answer 11

1. Decrease the Patient’s Susceptibility (vaccines)
2. Increase the Patient’s Resistance (Drugs)
3. Decrease the Patient’s Exposure to infectious agents

• The most effective and often most practical approach

Question 12

Will exposure and contamination always lead to a clinical infection?

Answer 12

No, the process goes as follows”

1. Ubiquitous bacteria enters the system
2. Ubiquitous bacteria colonizes in different systems
3. Ubiquitous bacteria is affected by illness and/or antibiotics

If these factors are affected it may or may not lead to Infection

Question 13

Risk Factors:

Answer 13

Determine if Contamination leads to infection/ Infectious Disease

• Microbia Agent/ Infectious Disease
  
  • Virulence- severity or harmfulnessof a disease
  • Environmental stabilit of the Organism
  • Route of exposre: airborne vs direct contact
• Personnel Practices:
  
  • Compliance to hygiene policies
  • Cleaning and Disinfection practices / Compliance to Label
• Condition of the Patient:
  
  • Immune status (vaccination status / age / stress / pregnancy)
  • Dose- amount of contamination exposed to
  • Lenght of anesthesia/ surgical procedure

Question 14

Contanimation Sources

Answer 14

• Critical: Items which come into direct contact with internal tissues or sterile surfaces. Mustbe cleaned, then sterilized.
  
  • Surgical equipment
• Semi Critical: Those items which come in contact with the mucus membranes, upper GI or airways or patients. May be sterile; at minimum cleaned then disinfected
  
  • Dental tools
• Non-Critical: Those items which only make contact with the external body. At minimum cleaned, then sanitized between “healthy patients”
  
  • Disposable or disinfected or sterilized for patients with infection disease
  • stethascpe, thermometer, hands

Question 15

Hand Hygiene

Answer 15

• Timing is important
  
  • immediately before patient contact
  • Before invasive procedures
  • Immediately after contact with body fluids
  • After glove removal
  • Immediately after patient Contact
  • Before eating or drinking, applying cosmetics, lip product, after using restroom

Question 16

Using Alcohol Hand Sanitizer

Answer 16

1. Use when hads are NOT grossly dirty
2. Dispense enough to completely wet bth hands
3. work over hand and nail beds as if it is soap
4. keep working until it is evaporated dry

Question 17

Gloves

Answer 17

• Exam Gloves: Clean not sterile, protect humans from contamination and microbes, chemicals. protect pets from microbes on the hands
  
  • Can spread contamination while using dirty gloves to tough other surfaces
• Open Gloving: Wearing steril gloves without a gown. For minor procedures or minor surgical procedures (*Not in a body cavity or a procedure that would have catastrophic consequences if an infection occured)
• Closed Gloving: Gloves worn with full sleeve sterile surgery gown. For Major procedures