Infection Reservoirs Flashcards

Reservoir of Infection

• A reservoir of infection is a source, either living or inanimate, that allows pathogens to survive, multiply, and be transmitted to hosts.

Carriers

• Human reservoirs are termed carriers, which can transmit diseases with or without symptoms.
• Carrying pathogens can occur even in asymptomatic individuals, posing a risk to others.

Zoonoses

• Animal reservoirs, known as zoonoses, involve diseases that can be transmitted from animals (wild or domestic) to humans.

Non-Living Reservoir

• Non-living reservoirs include soil and water, which can harbor pathogens and facilitate disease transmission.

Transmission Methods

• Direct Contact Transmission: Disease is spread through direct physical contact between a source and a susceptible host.
• Indirect Contact Transmission: Involves nonliving organisms acting as intermediaries for disease transmission.
• Fomite: Nonliving objects, like cups or syringes, can indirectly transmit infections.
• Droplet Transmission: Microbes spread through droplets less than one meter from the reservoir to the host.
• Vehicle Transmission: Pathogens are transmitted via mediums such as air, water, or food.
• Vector: Animals that transport pathogens from one host to another.
• Mechanical Transmission: Pathogens are carried externally on the feet of animals, which can then be spread by host contact.
• Biological Transmission: Occurs when a vector, such as an insect, bites an infected individual, transmitting the disease.

Healthcare-Associated Infections

• HAI (Health Care-Associated Infections): Infections acquired in healthcare settings, also known as nosocomial infections.

Compromised Hosts

• A compromised host has reduced resistance to infections due to factors like disease, therapies, or physical trauma.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

• These are new diseases that are either increasing in incidence or have the potential to rise significantly in the near future.

Epidemiology

• The study of disease occurrence, transmission patterns, and factors in populations.
• Descriptive Epidemiology: Focuses on data collection describing disease occurrences.
• Analytical Epidemiology: Analyzes specific diseases to determine causative factors.
• Experimental Epidemiology: Involves hypothesis testing through controlled experiments.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• The CDC is responsible for collecting and analyzing epidemiological data in the United States.

Morbidity and Mortality

• Morbidity: Refers to the incidence rate of specific diseases in a population.
• Mortality: Represents the number of deaths from a disease within a certain timeframe.
• Notifiable Infectious Diseases: Diseases that physicians are mandated to report.
• Morbidity Rate: Relates the number of affected individuals to the total population at a specific time.
• Mortality Rate: Proportions the number of deaths from a disease to the total population over a designated period.