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Active immunity
a resistance of the body to infection in which the host produces its own antibodies in response to natural or artificial antigens
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Acute infection
those that generally appear suddenly or last a short time
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Airborne precautions
methods used to reduce exposure to infectious agents transmitted by airborne droplet nuclei smaller than 5 microns
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Airborne transmission
infectious agent transmitted by droplets or dust
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Antibodies or Immunoglobulins
immunoglobulins, part of the body's plasma proteins, defend primarily against the extracellular phases of bacterial and viral infections
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Antigen
a substance capable of inducing the formation of antibodies
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Antiseptics
agents that inhibit the growth of some microorganisms
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Asepsis
freedom from infection or infectious material
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Autoantigen
an antigen that originates in a person's own body
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Bacteremia
bacteria in the blood
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Bacteria
the most common infection-causing microorganisms
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Bacteriocins
substances produced by some normal flora (e.g., enterobacteria), that can be lethal to related strains of bacteria
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Bloodborne pathogens
those microorganisms carried in blood and body fluids that are capable of infecting other persons with serious and difficult to treat viral infections, namely hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and HIV
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Body substance isolation
(BSI) generic infection control precautions for all clients except those with diseases transmitted through the air
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Carrier
a person or animal that harbors a specific infectious agent and serves as a potential source of infection, yet does not manifest any clinical signs of disease
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Cellular immunity or Cell-mediated defenses
also known as cell-mediated defenses, occur through the T-cell system
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Chemotaxis the action by which leukocytes are attracted to injured cells
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Chronic infection infection that occurs slowly, over a very long period, and may last months or years
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Clean
free of potentially infectious agents
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Colonization
the presence of organisms in body secretions or excretions in which strains of bacteria become resident flora but do not cause illness
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Communicable disease
a disease that can spread from one person to another
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Compromised host
any person at increased risk for an infection
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Contact precautions
methods used to reduce exposure to infectious agents easily transmitted by direct client contact or by contact with items in the client's environment
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Cultures
laboratory cultivations of microorganisms in a special growth medium
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Diapedesis
the movement of blood corpuscles through a blood vessel wall
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Dirty
denotes the likely presence of microorganisms, some of which may be capable of causing infection
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Disinfectants
agents that destroy pathogens other than spores
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Droplet nuclei
residue of evaporated droplets that remains in the air for long periods of time
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Droplet precautions
methods used to reduce exposure to infectious agents transmitted by particle droplets larger than 5 microns
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Emigration
process in which leukocytes move through the blood vessel wall into the affected tissue spaces
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Endogenous
developing from within
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Exogenous
developing from without
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Exudate
material, such as fluid and cells, that has escaped from blood vessels during the inflammatory process and is deposited in tissue or on tissue surfaces
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Fibrinogen
a plasma protein that is converted to fibrin when it is released into the tissues and, together with thromboplastin and platelets, forms an interlacing network making a barrier to wall off an area
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Fibrous (scar) tissue
connective tissue repair of wounds with tissue that can proliferate under conditions of ischemia and altered pH
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Fungi
infection-causing microorganisms that include yeasts and molds
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Granulation tissue
young connective tissue with new capillaries formed in the wound healing process
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Humoral immunity or Circulating immunity
antibody-mediated defense; resides ultimately in the B lymphocytes and is mediated by the antibodies produced by B cells
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Hyperemia
increased blood flow to an area
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Iatrogenic infection
infections that are the direct result of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures
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Immunity
a specific resistance of the body to infection; it may be natural, or resistance developed after exposure to a disease agent
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Infection
the disease process produced by microorganisms
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Inflammation
local and nonspecific defensive tissue response to injury or destruction of cells
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Isolation
practices that prevent the spread of infection and communicable disease
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Leukocytes
white blood cells
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Leukocytosis
an increase in the number of white blood cells
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Local infection
an infection that is limited to the specific part of the body where the microorganisms remain
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Macrophages
large phagocytes
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Margination
the aggregating or lining up of substances along a surface or edge (eg, the lining up of white blood cells against the wall of a blood vessel during the inflammatory process)
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Medical asepsis
all practices intended to confine a specific microorganism to a specific area, limiting the number, growth, and spread of microorganisms
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Nonspecific defenses
bodily defenses that protect a person against all microorganisms, regardless of prior exposure
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Nosocomial infections
infections associated with the delivery of health care services in a health care facility
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Occupational exposure
skin, eye, mucous membrane, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may result from the performance of an employee's duties
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Opportunistic pathogen
a microorganism causing disease only in a susceptible individual
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Parasites
microorganisms that live in or on another from which it obtains nourishment
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Passive immunity or Acquired immunity
a resistance of the body to infection in which the host receives natural or artificial antibodies produced by another source
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Pathogenicity
the ability to produce disease; a pathogen is a microorganism that causes disease
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Phagocytes
cells that ingest microorganisms, other cells, and foreign particles
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Reservoir
a source of microorganisms
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Resident flora
microorganisms that normally reside on the skin, mucous membranes, and inside the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts
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Sepsis
the presence of pathogenic organisms or their toxins in the blood or body tissues
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Septicemia
occurs when bacteremia results in systemic infection
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Specific (immune) defenses or Immune defenses
immune functions directed against identifiable bacteria, viruses, fungi, or other infectious agents
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Sterile field
a specified area that is considered free from microorganisms
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Sterile technique or Surgical asepsis
practices that keep an area or object free of all microorganisms;
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Sterilization
a process that destroys all microorganisms, including spores and viruses
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Systemic infection
when pathogens spread and damage different parts of the body
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Universal precautions (UP)
techniques to be used with all clients to decrease the risk of transmitting unidentified pathogens; currently, Standard Precautions incorporate UP and BSI
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Vector-borne transmission
a vector is an animal or flying or crawling insect that serves as an intermediate means of transporting the infectious agent
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Vehicle-borne transmission
a vehicle is any substance that serves as an intermediate means to transport and introduce an infectious agent into a susceptible host through a suitable portal of entry
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Virulence
ability to produce disease
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Viruses
nucleic acid-based infectious agents
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