Infection Control

1. Define the following words
Antiseptics- is a substance, which inhibits the growth and development of microorganisms
Asepsis- is the absence of infectious agents that may produce disease
Autoclave- An appliance used to sterilize medical instruments or other objects with steam under pressure.
Bacteria- are tiny, one-celled forms of life that cause many diseases and infections.
Bactericidal- An agent that destroys bacteria
Bacteriostatic- Preventing bacteria from growing and multiplying but possibly not killing them.
Cleaning- Cleaning using detergents helps to remove micro-organisms.
Disinfection- Using specialized cleansing techniques that destroy or prevent growth of organisms capable of infection.
Host-
Immunity- The condition of being immune; the protection against infectious disease conferred either by the immune response generated by immunization or previous infection or by other no immunologic factors.
Immunocompromised- is a state in which a person's immune system is weakened or absent.
Incubation period- the time from the moment of exposure to an infectious agent until signs and symptoms of the disease appear. Infection- is a condition in which all or part of the body is invaded by a pathogenic agent, which then multiplies to produce local and/or systemic injury
Localised Infection- An infection that is limited to a specific part of the body and has local symptoms
Primary Infection- The original outbreak of an illness against which the body has had no opportunity to build antibodies
Secondary Infection- An infection that occurs during or after treatment of another, already existing infection. It may result from the treatment itself or from alterations in the immune system.
Superinfection- Infection occurring after or on top of an earlier infection
Systemic Infection- Infection, which affects the whole body
Micro- Organisms- The causative agents in the chain include bacteria, virus, fungi and protozoa.
Pathogens- A bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease
Sterile- Free from all live bacteria
Non-pathogen- Not disease producing
Prophylaxis- A action taken to prevent disease
Resistance- Counteracting force
Source- The point in which it originates
Virulence- The power to produce disease