| A | B |
|---|
| aerobic bacteria | microorganisms that require oxygen to live |
| anaerobic bacteria | microorganisms that exist without oxygen |
| antimicrobial agents | chemicals that limit the number of infectious microorganisms by destroying them or suppressing their growth |
| antiseptics | chemicals such as alcohol that inhibit the growth of, but do not kill, microorganisms |
| asepsis | practices that decrease or eliminate infectious agents, their reservoirs and vehicles for transmission |
| aseptic techniques | measures that reduce or eliminate microorganisms |
| biologic defense mechanisms | methods that prevent microorganisms from causing an infectious disorder |
| carriers | asymptomatic clients or animals who harbor pathogens but do not show evidence of an infectious disease |
| chain of infection | sequence that enables the spread of disease-producing microorganisms |
| communicable/community-acquired/contagious diseases | infectious diseases that can be transmitted to other people |
| concurrent disinfection | measures that keep the client environment clean on a daily basis |
| disinfectants | chemicals that destroy active microorganisms but not spores |
| exit route | means by which microorganisms escape from their original reservoir |
| fomites | nonliving reserviors of pathogens |
| hand antisepsis | removal and destruction of transient microorganisms from the hands |
| hand hygiene | methods for removing surface contaminants on the skin |
| hand washing | aseptic practice that involves scrubbing the hands with plain soap or detergent, water and friction |
| means of transmission | How infectious microorganisms move to another location. Five routes: contact, droplet, airborne, vehicle and vector. |
