MICROPARA (WEEK 5- CANVAS)

• Bacteria and Disease


  Bacteria are microorganisms that can cause diseases in humans
• Disease


  An abnormal state in which part or all of the body is not properly adjusted or is unable to carry out usual functions; any deviation from one's current condition of health

  
• Infection


  Pathogenic microorganisms invading the body
• Symbiosis


  The relation between the indigenous flora and the host
• Commensalism


  A type of symbiosis in which one organism benefits from the other without harming it
• Mutualism


  A form of symbiosis in which both organisms benefit from the relationship
• Parasitism


  A connection in which one organism benefits from another while also harming it
• Pathogen


  An organism that invades and causes damage or injury to the host
• Pathogenicity


  An organism's ability to cause disease
• Contamination


  The presence of organisms outside of the body, such as those found in water, food, and other biological substances
• Pollution


  The presence of undesired compounds in water, air, or soil
• Koch's Postulates


  Four criteria designed to tell us if a certain organism is the cause of a certain disease
• Infection Chain


  1. Agent exits its reservoir or host

  2. Transmitted by some mode of transmission

  3. Enters a susceptible host through an appropriate portal of entry
• Mechanisms by which bacteria induce illness

  • Mechanical (invasion)
  • Chemical (toxin production)
  • Immunological
• Bacterial toxins


  Can damage cells and affect human physiological functions. They are endotoxins or exotoxins.
• Classification of infectious diseases

  • How they behave within a host and within a given populations
  • According to source of infection
  • According on the occurrence of a disease
  • According to severity or duration of infectious disease
  • According to extent of host involvement
• Stages of an infectious disease

  • Incubation period
  • Prodromal period
  • Period of illness
  • Period of decline
  • Period of convalescence

  
• Links in the chain of infection

  • Reservoir
  • Portal of exit
  • Mode of transmission
  • Susceptible host
• Alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) is a method of hand hygiene that includes an alcohol-containing preparation designed for application to the hands for reducing the number of viable microorganisms on the hands. ABHR is not an alternative for washing with soap and water if hands are visibly soiled.
• Ambulatory care settings (ACS) are facilities that provide health care to patients who do not remain overnight.
• Barrier precautions are any method or device used to decrease contact with potentially infectious body fluids. Examples may include masks, gloves, and gowns.
• Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming bacillus that can cause diarrhea and other intestinal diseases when competing bacteria in the gut are diminished by antibiotics.
• Community-associated infections (CA) are infections that are contracted outside of a healthcare facility and are present or incubating at the time of admission or develop within a designated period of time after admission.
• Epidemiologically important pathogens are infectious agents that have one or more of the following characteristics: 1) are readily transmissible; 2) have a proclivity toward causing outbreaks; 3) may be associated with a severe outcome; or 4) are difficult to treat. Examples include Acinetobacter, MRSA, and C. difficile.
• Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems.
• ICU (intensive care unit) is a hospital unit that provides intensive observation and treatment of patients either dealing with or at risk of developing life-threatening problems. Also known as a critical care unit.
• An infection preventionist (IP) is a healthcare worker who specializes in infection surveillance, control, and prevention. Also known as an Infection Control and Prevention Professional or an Infection Control Practitioner (ICP).
• An infection control and prevention program is a multidisciplinary program that includes a group of activities to ensure that recommended practices for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections are implemented and followed by healthcare workers, making the healthcare setting safe from infection for patients and healthcare personnel.
• An invasive procedure is a medical procedure that involves entering the body, usually by cutting or puncturing the skin or by inserting instruments into the body.
• A multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) is a type of bacteria that has become resistant to many of the drugs that used to be effective against it.
• Post-exposure prophylaxis is the administration of medications following exposure to a disease in an attempt to prevent infection.