Microorganisms
What are the six factors that affect the growth of microorganisms?
Food, moisture, temperature, light, oxygen, and living or dead matter.
Why is hand hygiene an important infection control practice?
Hand hygiene prevents the spread of microorganisms and reduces infection risk.
What are bacteria?
Small living organisms that can cause disease and come in different shapes and groupings.
Name two common diseases caused by viruses.
Any two of the following: COVID-19, influenza, HIV, smallpox, chickenpox, measles, mumps, herpes, or human papillomavirus
What is the chain of infection?
The chain of infection is the sequence of events that must occur for an infection to spread from one person to another.
True or False: All microorganisms are visible to the naked eye.
False. Microorganisms are invisible to the naked eye.
Name one time when healthcare workers should wash their hands.
Before eating, after using the restroom, before and after patient contact, or after touching contaminated materials.
Name two common diseases caused by bacteria.
Any two of the following: staph, strep throat, UTI, chlamydia, C. difficile, E. coli, tuberculosis, or gonorrhea.
How do viruses reproduce?
Viruses cannot reproduce on their own; they must take over a host cell to reproduce.
Name one link in the chain of infection.
Any one of the following: pathogen, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, or susceptible host.
Name two characteristics that can describe microorganisms.
Any two of the following: pathogenic/nonpathogenic, aerobic/anaerobic, or parasitic/saprophytic.
What is the primary goal of hand hygiene in healthcare settings?
To remove or kill microorganisms and prevent transmission of infection.
What type of medication is commonly used to treat bacterial infections?
Antibiotics.
Why can't antibiotics be used to treat viral infections?
Viruses are smaller than bacteria and have a different structure, so antibiotics are not effective against them.
What is a reservoir in the chain of infection?
A reservoir is where the pathogen lives and reproduces (can be a person, animal, or environment).
What is the difference between pathogenic and nonpathogenic microorganisms?
Pathogenic microorganisms can cause disease, while nonpathogenic microorganisms cannot cause disease.
Besides washing with soap and water, what is another method of hand hygiene?
Using hand sanitizer or alcohol-based hand rubs
What is a major concern with bacterial infections today?
Antibiotic resistance is becoming a very significant issue
What is the primary way to manage viral infections in healthcare?
Prevention is the primary focus since viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics.
What does "mode of transmission" mean in the chain of infection?
Mode of transmission is how the pathogen travels from one person to another (such as through air, contact, or contaminated objects).
Explain what happens when a nonpathogenic microorganism becomes pathogenic.
A nonpathogenic microorganism can become pathogenic when it moves outside of its normal environment (example: E. coli).
Why is hand hygiene considered one of the most important infection control measures?
Hands are a common vehicle for transmitting microorganisms from one person to another or from contaminated surfaces to patients.
Why is antibiotic resistance a problem in healthcare?
When bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, the antibiotics become less effective at treating infections, making diseases harder to cure.
Explain why viruses are considered more challenging to treat than bacteria.
Viruses are smaller than bacteria, cannot reproduce without a host cell, and cannot be treated with antibiotics, making prevention the main strategy.
How can breaking one link in the chain of infection prevent disease spread?
If any one link in the chain is broken, the infection cannot spread; for example, proper hand hygiene can block transmission, or vaccination can make a host less susceptible.