Term
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Definition
| measures taken to prevent the spread of diseases transmitted from an infected person by pathogens that remain infective over time and distance and are propelled through the air to a susceptible person's eyes, nose, or mouth |
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Term
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Definition
| a type of protein the immune system produces to neutralize a threat of some kind, such as an infecting organism, a chemical, or some other foreign body |
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Term
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Definition
| able to destroy or suppress the growth of pathogens and other micro-organisms |
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Term
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Definition
| a substance that reduces the number of pathogens present on a surface |
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Term
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Definition
| methods used to assure that an environment is as pathogen-free as possible |
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Term
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Definition
| as pathogen-free as possible |
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Term
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Definition
| the inhibition of further bacterial growth |
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Term
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Definition
| an antibaterial compound with substantial residual activity that is used as a liquid antiseptic and disinfectant |
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Term
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Definition
| measures taken to prevent the spread of diseases transmitted by the physical transfer of pathogens to a susceptible host’s body surface |
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Term
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Definition
| the process of becoming unsterile or unclean |
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Term
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Definition
| any chemical agent used to destroy or inhibit the growth of harmful organisms |
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Term
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Definition
| measures taken to prevent the spread of diseases transmitted from an infected person by pathogens propelled through the air only short distances to a susceptible person's eyes, nose, or mouth |
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Term
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Definition
| prevalent in or characteristic of a particular environment |
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Term
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Definition
| produced within an organism or system rather than externally caused |
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Term
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Definition
| extremely prevalent or widespread |
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Term
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Definition
| externally caused rather than produced within an organism or system |
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Term
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Definition
| the aggregate of bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms normally found in a particual environment, such as the gastrointestinal tract or the skin |
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Term
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Definition
| at an especially high level of continued incidence in a population |
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Term
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Definition
| the inhibition of the body’s protective response to pathogenic invasion, usually as a result of disease, drug therapy, or surgery |
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Term
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Definition
| invasion or proliferation of pathogens in body tissues |
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Term
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Definition
| the separation of an infected person from others for the period of communicability of a particular disease |
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Term
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Definition
| a milky fluid produced by rubber trees that is processed into a variety of products, including gloves used for patient care |
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Term
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Definition
| infection-control practices common in healthcare, such as basic handwashing |
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Term
| methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) |
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Definition
| a strain of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus that has become resistant to the antibacterial action of the antibiotic methicillin, a form of penicillin |
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Term
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Definition
| acquired in a hospital, as in nosocomial infection. The term the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now uses for infections associated with healthcare delivery in any setting (hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory settings, home care) is healthcare-associated infection (HAI). |
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Term
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Definition
| any disease-producing agent, especially a virus, bacterium, or fungus |
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Term
| personal protective equipment (PPE) |
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Definition
| devices used to protect employees from workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from biological, chemical, radiological, physical, electric, mechanical, or other workplace hazards |
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Term
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Definition
| pertaining to or caused by pneumococci, organisms of the species Streptococcus pneumoniae, a common cause of pneumonia and other infectious diseases |
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Term
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Definition
| measures taken to keep pathogens from coming into contact with an immunocompromised or otherwise susceptible patient; also called neutropenic or reverse isolation |
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Term
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Definition
| any of a large group of RNA-based viruses that tend to infect immunocompromised individuals, including the human immunodeficiency virus and many cancer-causing viruses |
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Term
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Definition
| the presence in blood or other tissues of pathogens or their toxins |
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Term
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Definition
| measures designed to prevent the transmission of organisms and used for all patients in healthcare facilities regardless of diagnosis or infection status |
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Term
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Definition
| a genus of gram-positive bacteria that are potential pathogens, causing local lesions and serious opportunistic infections |
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Term
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Definition
| techniques used to destroy all pathogenic organisms, also called sterile technique |
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Term
| transmission-based precautions |
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Definition
| measures taken to prevent the spread of diseases from people suspected to be infected or colonized with highly transmissible pathogens that require measures beyond standard precautions to interrupt transmission, specifically, airborne, droplet, and contact precautions |
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Term
| vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) |
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Definition
| a strain of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus that has become resistant to the antibacterial action of the antibiotic vancomycin |
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