Types of Infections and Fever

• Acute infections develop rapidly with severe symptoms and resolve quickly

• Chronic infections have ongoing symptoms lasting months or years

• Opportunistic infections affect individuals with weakened immune systems due to pathogens that don't normally cause disease in healthy people

• Latent infections remain dormant but can become reactive later

• Nosocomial infections occur within healthcare facilities like hospitals

• Latent infections have relapse and remission episodes

Antiseptic vs. Disinfectant

• Antiseptics are used on living tissue to reduce infection, such as alcohol wipes

• Disinfectants are used on non-living surfaces to kill microorganisms, such as Lysol

Types of Fever

• Intermittent fever is when fever spikes but returns to normal between episodes

• Remittent fever is when fever fluctuates but never returns to normal

• Continuous fever is a persistent elevated temperature with little fluctuation

Sanitation, Sterilization, and Disinfection

• Sanitation reduces microbial presence on surfaces to a safe level

• Sterilization destroys all microorganisms, including spores

• Disinfection eliminates most pathogens but not all spores

Chemical Label Identification System

• Blue (Health Hazard) ranges from 0-4, with 4 being deadly

• Red (Flammability Hazard) ranges from 0-4, with 4 being extremely flammable

• Yellow (Reactivity Hazard) ranges from 0-4, with 4 being extremely explosive

• White (Special Hazard) indicates specific risks like oxidizers (OX) or acids (ACID)

Clinical Laboratory Divisions

• Hematology involves complete blood counts

• Microbiology involves culture and sensitivity tests

• Clinical Chemistry involves blood glucose, electrolytes, and liver function tests

• Immunology/Serology involves HIV testing, rheumatoid factor, and monospot tests

Staining Methods

• Gram staining differentiates bacteria into gram-positive (purple) and gram-negative (pink)

• Acid-fast staining identifies mycobacterium, where acid-fast bacteria stain red and non-acid-fast bacteria stain blue

Bacterial Classification by Shape

• Cocci are spherical

• Bacilli are rod-shaped

Microorganisms Causing Diseases

• Helicobacter pylori causes Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD)

• Clostridium tetani causes tetanus

• Corynebacterium diphtheriae causes diphtheria

• Bordetella pertussis causes pertussis

• Poliovirus causes polio

• Parvovirus B19 causes fifth disease

• Epstein-Barr Virus causes mononucleosis

• Candida Albicans causes yeast infections

• Borrelia Burgdorferi causes Lyme disease

• Coxsackievirus causes hand and mouth disease

Hypertension

• Primary hypertension has no identifiable cause and develops gradually

• Secondary hypertension is caused by an underlying condition

Culture and Sensitivity Tests

• Culture involves growing microorganisms from a sample to identify the pathogen

• Sensitivity involves testing antibiotics to determine the best treatment

Culture and Sensitivity Interpretation

• Sensitive indicates the microorganism is affected by the antibiotic

• Intermediate indicates the microorganism has some response to the antibiotic

• Resistant indicates the microorganism is not affected by the antibiotic

Patient Positions

• Supine position is used for abdominal exams

• Prone position is used for back/spinal exams

• Fowler's position is used for respiratory distress

• Lithotomy position is used for gynecological exams

Subjective vs. Objective Information

• Subjective information is reported by the patient and includes patient symptoms

• Objective information includes measurable findings

• Patient symptoms are subjective

Reye Syndrome

• Reye syndrome is a rare but serious condition causing swelling in the brain and liver

CLIA Waived Tests

• Immunology tests detect antibodies or antigens in simple formats

• Microbiology tests identify infectious agents and are simple enough for non-laboratory personnel

CLIA Waived Immunology and Microbiology Tests

• Rapid strep test

• Influenza A/B test

• Urine pregnancy test

Gram Stain and AFB Stain as CLIA Waived Tests

• Gram stain and AFB stain are not CLIA waived because they require microscopy and specialized interpretation