Microorganisms and Asepsis

Question 1

acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Answer 1

an often fatal condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Question 2

alcohol hand disinfectant (AHD)

Answer 2

an alcohol-based gel used to wash hands when water is not available

Question 3

antibiotic

Answer 3

a substance ingested, injected, or applied to a living being that has the power to inhibit the growth of or to destroy pathogens

Question 4

antiseptic

Answer 4

a chemical cleaning agent used on the skin to remove or to inhibit the growth of bacteria

Question 5

asepsis

Answer 5

the absence of or the control of microorganisms

Question 6

bacteria (singular bacterium)

Answer 6

one-celled microorganisms; may be found singularly or in chains

Question 7

bactericide

Answer 7

an agent or a process that kills bacteria

Question 8

bacteriology

Answer 8

the study of bacteria

Question 9

bacteriostasis

Answer 9

the process of inhibiting or controlling bacterial growth

Question 10

blood-borne pathogen

Answer 10

any type of disease-causing organism that lives in and i transmitted through blood

Question 11

chain of infection

Answer 11

elements necessary for disease to spread: reservoir, host, portal of exit, means of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host

Question 12

contagion

Answer 12

the spread of disease by contact with a pathogen

Question 13

disinfectant

Answer 13

a bacteriostatic chemical agent used to clean and to decrease the number of pathogens on inanimate objects (such as surgical instruments, countertops); does not sterilize

Question 14

emerging infections

Answer 14

recently appearing infectious diseases in a population or diseases that are rapidly increasing or threatening to increase in the near future

Question 15

endemic

Answer 15

an increase in the normal number of a specific disease in a defined geographic area or locale

Question 16

fomite

Answer 16

contaminated food or drink and contaminated objects such as soiled hands; provide avenue for indirect transmission of microbes

Question 17

general asepsis

Answer 17

common techniques and procedures to reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms in the normal environment and to decrease the opportunity for further spread

Question 18

health-care-acquired infection (HAI)

Answer 18

infection a patient acquires when in a health care facility, typically a hospital setting; also known as nosocomial infection

Question 19

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Answer 19

pathogen that causes AIDS

Question 20

medical asepsis (clean technique)

Answer 20

techniques and procedures that reduce the number of microorganisms in a health care environment and decrease opportunities for further spread

Question 21

methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Answer 21

a bacterium responsible for a severe difficult to treat skin infection since it is resistant to methicillin and many other antibiotics

Question 22

microorganisms

Answer 22

microbes or germs; living organisms that are too small to see with the naked eye

Question 23

mycology

Answer 23

the study of fungi

Question 24

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

Answer 24

a federal agency that develops and monitors guidelines and mandates that address health and safety in the work place

Question 25

outbreak

Answer 25

an excess of the normal of occurrences of a specific disease

Question 26

pandemic

Answer 26

an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people

Question 27

parasite

Answer 27

an organism that lives at the expense of another organism

Question 28

parasitology

Answer 28

study of worms, protozoa, and other parasites

Question 29

pathogens

Answer 29

microorganisms that cause disease

Question 30

portals of entry or means of entrance

Answer 30

routes by which microorganisms enter the body

Question 31

spores

Answer 31

encapsulated bacteria in an inactive or resting state

Question 32

sterilization

Answer 32

process of destroying all living organisms

Question 33

surgical asepsis (sterile technique)

Answer 33

techniques and procedures intended to eliminate all microorganisms in an environment

Question 34

virology

Answer 34

study of virus