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Infectious Diseases
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| contact with an infected person | can be direct (such as hugging) or indirect (such as inhaling droplets sneezed into the air) |
| contact with a contaminated object | drinking from a sick person's cup |
| contact with an infected animal | when an animal bite or scratch transmits a disease (such as a raccoon transmitting rabies) |
| contact with an environmental source | when certain bacteria or viruses that live naturally in food, soil, and water spread illnesses |
| toxin | a poison produced by some bacteria |
| infectious disease | an illness that can pass from one organism to another |
| vaccine | a substance introduced into the body to stimulate the production of chemicals that destroy specific viruses or bacteria |
| antibiotics | chemicals that can kill bacteria without harming a person's cells |
| antibiotic resistance | when some bacteria are able to survive in the presence of antibiotics |