REGULATIONS
microorganisms that depend on a host cell to survive and replicate causing serious illness; treated with oral and injectable antiprotozoal meds; ex: trichomoniasis, malaria, and amoebic dysentery
protozoa
used to prevent spread of infection from large droplets that are from coughing, sneezing, and talking (such as whooping cough and flu); anyone within a 3 foot radius is susceptible
droplet precautions
treated with antibiotics; ex: The Black Death, Syphilis, & Staph Aureus
bacteria
set of basic practices intended to prevent transmission of infectious diseases from one person to another; applies to all patients no matter their diagnosis
Standard Precautions
personal protective equipment
PPE
type of infection transmission in which the pathogen travels directly from one host to another such as person-to-person contact
direct contact
parasites that normally choose fleas, lice, ticks, or mites as their host organisms causing severe infections; treated with antibiotics; ex: typhus and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
rickettsiae
used for those with highly transmissible infections along with standard precautions and are based on the diagnosis of the patient
transmission based precautions
organism that requires little or no oxygen to live
anaerobe
type of infections transmission in which the pathogen takes an indirect path-such as through food, air, or clothing to its next host
indirect contact
treated with time and rest and must run their course; vaccines can prevent some of them; ex: flu, HPV, herpes, chicken pox
viruses
the use of antimicrobial agents on nonliving objects or surfaces to destroy or deactivate microorganisms
disinfection
prevent the spread of disease that are transmitted by tiny, airborne droplet residue or dust particles containing microorganisms such as tuberculosis; requires and N95 mask and rooms with special ventilation
airborne precautions
organism that requires oxygen to live
aerobe
guidelines developed by OSHA that list potentially infectious materials and mandate that all healthcare workers proceed at all times as if the materials are infectious
OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
the sequence of events that allows infection to move from one source or host to another
chain of infection
parasitic organisms that live in the soil or on plants such as yeasts or molds; treated with topical, oral, or injectable medications; ex: athlete's foot, thrush, vaginitis, ringworm, and lung disease
fungi
the act of killing all microorganisms and their spores on a surface; may include pressurized steam, dry heat and gas
sterilization
reduces the risk of certain microorganisms through direct or indirect contact (such as impetigo or hepatitis)
contact precautions
infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease
bloodborne pathogens
a law enacted in 2000 requiring employers to identify, evaluate, and introduce safer medical devices to avoid needlesticks
Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act
such as insects, rodents, or other small animals that spread pathogens from host to host
vector
organisms that live in or near another organism
parasites
the use of antimicrobial agents on objects, surface, or living tissue to reduce the number of disease-causing microorganisms
sanitization
rooms in a healthcare facility used to prevent the spread of infections either by containing patients who have contagious diseases or by protecting immunocompromised patients from infectious diseases
isolation rooms
healthcare acquired-associated infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and infections in the bloodstream
nosocomial infection