INFECTION CONTROL

• Infection - an invasion and growth of a microorganism in the human body that causes disease
• Pathogens - infectious organisms; can be viruses, bacteria, fungi, protists, helminths, or prions
• Health care-associated infections (Nosocomial infections) - infections contracted by patients during a hospital stay
• 3 most common healthcare-associated antibiotic-resistant pathogens:

  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
  • Enterococcus - normally in intestines and in female genital tract
  • Clostridium difficile - inflammation of the colon
• Bloodborne pathogens (BBPs) - infectious agents carried in the blood, certain body fluids, and unpreserved tissues
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) - attacks the human immune system by infecting and destroying the T lymphocyte subset
• HBV & HDV

  • HBV attacks the liver, causing mild to severe chronic disorders
  • Patients already infected with HBV are susceptible to infection with HDV
• HCV - the leading BBP cause of chronic liver disease progressing to cirrhosis and liver cancer