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Infection & Disease
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Acquired immunity | Immunity that is developed during a person´s lifetime. |
| Acute Infection | An infection of short duration that is often severe. |
| Anaphylaxis | Extreme hypersensitivity to a substance that can lead to shock and life threatening respiratory collapse. |
| Artificially acquired immunity | immunity that results from a vaccination |
| Blood-borne pathogens | Disease-causing organisms transferred through contact with blood or other body fluids. |
| Chain of Infection | Conditions that all must be present for infection to occur |
| Chronic Infection | An infection of long duration |
| Communicable disease | Condition caused by an infection that can be spread from person to person or through contact with body fluids. |
| Blood-borne-disease | Disease that is caused by microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria that are carried in blood |
| Contaminated Waste | Items such as gloves and patient napkins that may contain potentially infectious body fluids of patients. |
| Direct Contact | Touching or contact with a patient´s blood or saliva |
| Droplet Infection | An infection that occurs through mucosal surfaces of the eyes, nose, or mouth. |
| Epidemiologic | Studies of patterns and causes of diseases |
| Hazardous Waste | Waste that poses a danger to humans or to the environment |
| Immunity | Ability of the body to resist disease |
| Indirect Contact | Touching or contact with a contaminated surface or instrument |
| Infection Control | Policies and practices designed to prevent the spread of infectious agents. |
| Infection Prevention | Ultimate goal of all infection control procedures and policies |
| Infectious Disease | Disease that is communicable |
| Infectious Waste | Waste that is capable of transmitting an infectious disease. |
| Inherited Immunity | Immunity that is present at birth |
| Latent Infection | Persistent infection with recurrent symptoms that come and go |
| Naturally Acquired Immunity | Immunity that occurs when a person has contracted and is recovering from a disease. |
| Occupational Exposure | Any reasonable anticipated skin, eye, or mucous membrane contact or percutaneous injury involving blood or any other potentially infectious materials. |
| OSHA Blood-Borne Pathogens (BBP) Standard | Guidelines designed to protect employees against occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens. |
| Pathogen | Disease-causing organism. |
| Percutaneous | Through the skin, such as with a needle stick, cut, or human bite |
| Permucosal | Contact with mucous membranes, such as the eyes or mouth |
| Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | Items such as protective clothing, masks, gloves, and eyewear used to protect employees. |
| Sharps | Pointes or cutting instruments, including needles, scalpel blades,orthodontic wires, and endodontic instruments |
| Standard Precautions | Standard of care designed to protect healthcare providers from pathogens that can be spread by blood or any other body fluids via excretion or secretion; expands on the concept of Universal Precautions |
| Universal Precautions | Guidelines based on treating all human blood and body fluids (including saliva) as potentially infectious. |
| Virulence | Strength of a pathogen´s ability to cause disease; also known as pathogenicity. |