Standard Precautions

Question 1

AIDS

Answer 1

acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. When suppressed the patient is vulnerable to a host of opportunistic infections.

Question 2

Antibody

Answer 2

a protein substance developed by the body to fight disease organisms. Not effective against a virus that hides inside a cell.

Question 3

Antimicrobial

Answer 3

an agent that prevents the development or pathogenic action of microbes.

Question 4

Antiseptics

Answer 4

agents that are applied to body tissues, such as skin or mucous membrane, to destroy or retard that growth of microorganisms.

Question 5

Asepsis

Answer 5

the absence of disease-producing microorganisms.

Question 6

Auto-infections

Answer 6

infections that arise from an individuals own body flora.

Question 7

Bacteriostatic

Answer 7

a a substance that prevents the growth or multiplication of bacteria.

Question 8

Barrier nursing

Answer 8

any technique that reduces the risk of cross contamination.

Question 9

Biohazard waste

Answer 9

any solid or liquid waste that may present a threat of infection.

Question 10

Carrier

Answer 10

an individual or animal without signs of illness but who carries pathogens on or within his or her body that can be transferred to others.

Question 11

Colonization

Answer 11

organisms present in body tissue but not multiplying or invading the tissue.

Question 12

Contagious disease

Answer 12

a disease conveyed easily to others.

Question 13

Contamination

Answer 13

introduction of disease, germs, or infectious material into or on normally clean or sterile objects.

Question 14

Detergents

Answer 14

compounds (surfactants) that posses a cleaning action, often referred to as soaps. They are composed of a hydrophilic and lipophilic substance.

Question 15

Disinfectants

Answer 15

chemical agents that are used to destroy or reduce microorganisms on inanimate surfaces and objects.

Question 16

Disinfection

Answer 16

a process that employs physical and chemical means to remove, control, or destroy most of the organisms that may be present or equipment or materials.

Question 17

Endogenous

Answer 17

related to organisms natural to an individuals own body.

Question 18

Enteric precautions

Answer 18

isolation practices designed to prevent transmission of pathogens through contact with fecal matter and vomitus.

Question 19

Epidemic

Answer 19

an outbreak of a disease that is widespread or can spread rapidly.

Question 20

Epidemiology

Answer 20

that study of distribution or patterns and determinants (causes) of health-related events in defined populations.

Question 21

Exogenous

Answer 21

related to organisms external to an individuals own body.

Question 22

False negative

Answer 22

a negative test in someone who in fact has been infected by a microorganism but for some reason has not developed antibodies.

Question 23

False postive

Answer 23

a positive test for an antibody, usually the result of an artifact of the laboratory test, in an individual who has not in fact been exposed to the microorganisms. All individuals who test positive should have the test repeated.

Question 24

Healthcare - Associated Infections (HAI)

Answer 24

an infection not present and without evidence of incubation at the time of admission to a health care setting.

Question 25

HIV

Answer 25

Human immunodeficiency virus; a blood borne retrovirus that has a different life cycle from a normal virus.

Question 26

Host

Answer 26

an animal or individual on which or within which microorganisms live.

Question 27

Incubation period

Answer 27

that time between infection from a microorganism and the onset of symptoms. it seems to range from 6 months to 7 years for AIDS.

Question 28

Infection

Answer 28

establishment of a disease process that involves invasion of the body tissue by microorganisms and the reaction of the tissues to their presence and to the toxins generated by them.

Question 29

Isolation technique

Answer 29

practices designed to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases.

Question 30

MDR-TB

Answer 30

multidrup-resistant tuberculosis; an in vitro resistant strain of TB to antituberculosis drugs.

Question 31

Medical asepsis

Answer 31

all practices that limit the number and growth of microorganisms and their transmission.

Question 32

Microorganism

Answer 32

minute living body, such as a bacterium, protozoan, or virus, not perceptible to the naked eye.

Question 33

Nosocomial infection

Answer 33

HAI

Question 34

Outbreak

Answer 34

a critical incident in which infections occur above an established level and are caused by the same infective agent.

Question 35

Pandemic

Answer 35

en epidemic of an infectious disease that becomes widespread, affecting a whole region or large area such as a continent.

Question 36

Pathogen

Answer 36

a microorganism that can cause infectious disease in the human body

Question 37

PEP

Answer 37

postexposure prophylaxis; recommendations from the CDC on how to treat a healthcare worker’s exposure to HIV.

Question 38

Protocol

Answer 38

description of steps to be taken in exact order- may be legally binding.

Question 39

Resident (normal) flora

Answer 39

organisms natural to an individuals own body. Organisms multiply in the environment, not merely surviving there.

Question 40

Retrovirus

Answer 40

a virus with a life cycle in which the genetic information is in reverse of that in an ordinary virus: The RNA code is transcribed backward into DNA.

Question 41

Sepsis

Answer 41

a condition resulting from the presence of pathogenic bacteria and their products.

Question 42

Sterile

Answer 42

free from any living microorganisms

Question 43

Surgical asepsis

Answer 43

practices that will maintain area free from microorganisms, as by a surgical scrub or sterile technique.

Question 44

Susceptible site

Answer 44

an area that is sensitive to or can be invaded by a bacterium or other infectious agent.

Question 45

Virulence

Answer 45

that ability of recognized pathogenic organisms to invade and propagate in normal, intact, and uncompromised individuals. Some organisms that are avirulent for normal individuals become pathogenic when defense mechanisms are impaired.

Question 46

Virus

Answer 46

a minute, parasitic organism that depends on nutrients inside cells for its metabolic and reproductive needs. These organisms cause a variety of infectious diseases and stimulate host antibodies. Unlike bacteria, viruses are unable to survive long on their own and are not affect by antibiotics.

Question 47

Waterless antiseptic agent

Answer 47

an antiseptic agent that does not require use of exogenous water. Agent dries automatically after applying to hands and rubbing hands together.