Required Reading: Infection Control

Question 1

Members of the typical oral flora include

Answer 1

Streptococci
Actinomycetes
Anaerobic bacteria
Candidal species

Question 2

Oral organisms are held in check by these 4 processes

Answer 2

1. Rapid epithelial turnover/desquamation
2. Salivary IgA/Host immune factors
3. Dilution via salivary flow
4. Competition b/w oral flora for resources

Question 3

How does skin prevent entry of microbes

Answer 3

Keratinized tissue

Tight bonds between epithelial cells

Question 4

This is the breakdown of living tissue by the action of microorganisms and is usually accompanied by inflammation

Answer 4

Sepsis

Question 5

Does bacteremia automatically mean there is a septic state?

Answer 5

No

Question 6

The attempt to keep patients, staff, and objects as free as possible of infectious agents

Answer 6

medical asepsis

Question 7

The attempt to prevent microbes from gaining access to surgically created wounds

Answer 7

surgical apsepsis

Question 8

the freedom from viable forms of microorganisms

Answer 8

sterility

Question 9

the reduction of the number of viable microorganisms to levels judged safe by public health standards

Answer 9

sanitization

Question 10

Similar to sanitization, but without the connection to public health standards

Answer 10

decontamination

Question 11

What are the major chemical means of killing microbes of surfaces

Answer 11

1. Antiseptics
2. Disinfectants
3. Ethylene oxide gas

Question 12

The microorganisms most resistant to elimination

Answer 12

bacterial endospores

Question 13

Any method capable of killing bacterial endospores can also kill….

Answer 13

Bacteria
Viruses
Mycobacteria
Fungi
Mold
Parasites

Question 14

Three methods generally available for instrument sterilization

Answer 14

1. Dry heat
2. Moist heat
3. Ethylene oxide gas

Question 15

How does dry heat differ from moist heat?

Answer 15

Moist heat works faster and at lower temps than dry heat

Question 16

What endospore is used to monitor sterilization

Answer 16

Bacillus stearothermophilus

Question 17

What items are best sterilized with dry heat

Answer 17

Bulky items that can withstand high temps, but are prone to rusting

Question 18

Why does moist heat work at a lower temperature than dry heat

Answer 18

water is better at transferring heat

it take 7x more energy to turn boiling water to steam as it does to get water to boiling

Question 19

Why does moist heat under pressure (Autoclaving) work even better?

Answer 19

Because the pressure increasing the boiling point of water, so the steam is that much hotter when it comes into contact with microbial cell proteins

Question 20

What is ethylene oxide mixed with to make it safer to use

Answer 20

Carbon dioxide

Nitrogen

Question 21

How long does it take to kill with ethylene oxide at 50 degrees C

Answer 21

3 hours

Question 22

What is a downside to using ethylene oxide?

Answer 22

Equipment must aerate for 12 hours before use

Question 23

How are chemical agents for instrument disinfection classified

Answer 23

High, intermediate, low biocidal activity

Question 24

Why are quaternary ammonium compounds not recommended

Answer 24

they cannot kill Hep B Virus and become inactivated by soap and anionic agents