| A | B |
|---|
| infectious diseases | diseases caused by microorganisms that are spread from person to person |
| disease transmission | process by which infections are spread to individuals |
| germ | an organism or infectious agent that can potentially cause disease |
| virus | a type of infectious germ that invades human tissue and causes illness |
| bacteria | infectious germs that invade human tissue and cause illness--sometimes treated with antibiotics |
| fungi | a type of germ that can commonly cause skin infections or allergic reactions |
| parasite | infections that invade the body and live within human tissue for extended periods of time |
| mode of transmission | the route by which an infection is spread |
| droplet transmission | occurs when a person coughs or sneezes, propelling droplets of contaminated fluid that land on another person's eyes, nose, or mouth. |
| airborne transmission | involves much smaller microscopic droplets that travel through the air via air currents and over a longer distance. |
| bloodborne transmission | occurs through contact with contaminated blood or body fluids |
| incubation period | period of time between a child's first exposure to an infectious germ and the time the child's first symptom appears. |
| Standard Precautions | a set of guidelines developed by the CDC for use in health care settings that prevent the spread of infections from exposure to blood and body fluids. |
