Intro to Medical Microbiology Flashcards
What are 3 ways that infectious agents can be transmitted?
Contact
Vehicle
Vectors
What is direct contact transmission?
Person-to-person (kissing, touching)
What is indirect contact transmission?
The agent is transferred from a reservoir by a non-living object to the host
What is droplet transmission?
Microbes that are spread in droplets that travel up to 1 m in the air
What is vehicle transmission?
Transmission of infection by a medium like food, water, air, blood, or IV fluids
What is mechanical transmission?
Passive transport on the vector’s body
What is biological transmission?
Part of the life cycle of the microorganism is in the arthropod’s body
What does the basic reproduction number (R0) mean?
The average number of secondary cases produced by a single infected case in an otherwise susceptible population
What is case fatality ratio?
The proportion of detected cases of a given disease that die
What is effective reproduction number?
The average number of secondary cases arising from an infected case, with a given level of immunity in the population
What is an endemic?
Refers to the constant presence of an infectious disease in a population within a geographic area
What is an epidemic?
The occurrence of disease cases in excess of normal expectancy, usually referring to a larger geographical area than an outbreak
What does it mean to be exposed?
A contact between a susceptible and infected person that could lead to an infection
What is fatality rate of infections?
The proportion of overall infections that die as a result of it
What is an incidence?
the number of new infections during a given interval of time
What is an incubation period?
The period between exposure and onset of clinical symptoms
What is an infectious period?
the length of time for which an infected individual is infectious to others
What is a latent period?
The period between exposure and the ability to transmit to others
What is an outbreak?
The occurrence of disease cases in excess of normal expectancy, usually referring to a small geographical area than an epidemic
What is a pandemic?
An epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of individuals
What is a pathogen?
A micro-organism which can cause, or causes disease or damage to a host
What is prevalence?
The number of infected people in a population at a given point in time
