Disease and Disease Transmission Flashcards
What is the chain of infection?
Agent leaves reservoir through portal of exit, and is conveyed by some mode of transmission, and enters the appropriate portal of entry to infect a susceptible host.
What is an agent?
A microbial organism with the ability to cause disease.
What is a reservoir?
A place where agents can thrive and reproduce.
What is a portal of exit?
A place of exit providing a way for an agent to leave the reservoir; the route a pathogen takes out of an infected host.
What is a mode of transmission?
Method of transfer by which the organism moves or is carried from one place to another;
What are the three general modes of transmission?
contact, vehicle, and vector.
What is the portal of entry?
An opening allowing the microorganism to enter the host; the route a pathogen takes to enter a host
What is a susceptible host?
A person who cannot resist a microorganism invading the body, multiplying, and resulting in infection
What are the three characteristics of agents?
infectivity, pathogenicity, and virulence
What is infectivity?
capacity to cause infection in a susceptible host
What is pathogenicity?
capacity to cause disease in a host
What is virulence?
severity of disease that the agent causes to host
What is direct contact?
occurs through touching, kissing, and/or sexual intercourse.
How do you prevent transmission of disease through direct contact?
wear gloves and masks, use condoms, etc.
What is indirect contact?
- occurs from a reservoir via inanimate objects called fomites. Fomites are basically almost anything an infected individual or reservoir can touch, upon which can be left a resdiue of contagious pathogen.
