INFECTION CONTROL

INFECTION CONTROL

It is one of the most important aspects of

environmental safety. Caregivers have the
responsibility to understand and follow the facility’s
infection control policies and procedures.
This unit introduces medical asepsis, standard
precautions and care of the resident on Transmission
Based Precautions.
 TERMINOLOGIES
INFECTION –Entry and multiplication of an infectious agent
into the tissue of the host.
INFESTATION – Lodgement and development of anthropods
on the surface of the body.

ASEPSIS –Absence of disease – producing microorganism.

SEPSIS –The presence of infection.

MEDICAL ASEPSIS –Practices designed to reduce the number

and transfer of pathogens. ( CleanTechnique ).
SURGICAL ASEPSIS – Practices that render and keep objects
and areas free from microorganism (Sterile Technique).
 TERMINOLOGIES
CARRIER –an individual who harbors the organism and is capable of
transmitting it without showing manifestations of the disease.
CASE –a person who is infected and manifesting the signs and
symptoms of the disease.
SUSPECT –a person whose medical history and sign and symptoms
suggests that such person is suffering from that particular disease.
CONTACT –any person who had been in close association with an
infected person.

HOST –a person, animal or plant which harbors and provides

nourishment for a parasite.
RESERVOIR – natural habitat for the growth, multiplication and
reproduction of microorganism.
 TERMINOLOGIES
ISOLATION –The separation of person with communicable disease
from other persons.
QUARANTINE –The limitation of the freedom of movement of
persons exposed to communicable disease.
 TERMINOLOGIES
CONCURRENT DISINFECTION –Done immediately after the
discharge of infectious materials/secretions.
TERMINAL DISINFECTION –Applied when the patient is no
longer the source of infection.

BACTERICIDAL –A chemical that kills microorganism.

BACTERIOSTATIC –An agents that prevents bacterial
multiplication but does not kill microorganism.
 MICROORGANISM (GERMS)
A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of
microscopic size, which may exist in its single-celled
form or as a colony of cells. The pathogens responsible for
many infectious diseases are microbes and, as such, are the
target of hygiene measures.
 Surround us
 In air
 On our skin and in our bodies
 In the food that we eat
 On every surface we touch
 May cause
 Illness
 Infection
 Disease

 Benefit us by maintaining a balance in our environment and in our

body.
 Probiotics are live bacteria that are good for us, that balance our
good and bad intestinal bacteria, and that aid in digestion of food and
help with digestive problems, such as diarrhea and bellyache.
 Lactobacillus. In the body, lactobacillus bacteria are normally found
in the digestive, urinary, and genital systems.
 Bifidobacteria make up most of the “good” bacteria living in the gut.
 MICROORGANISM (GERMS)
Infectious diseases are diseases that are caused by
germs.
The main types of germs are
1. Bacteria
2. Viruses
3. Fungi
4. Parasites
 MICROORGANISM
 Micro – Small
 Organism – living thing
 They can be beneficial or harmful to humans
 Pathogens are microorganisms that causes disease/infections and
are release waste products called toxins.
TYPES
 Bacteria - most common and transported into different
mediums. Easy to treat with antibiotics
 Virus – smaller than bacteria. Most cannot be treated by
antibiotics. Is considered dead outside a living host or it replicates
once inside a host.
 Fungi – multi-cellular organisms examples are yeast and molds.
 Parasites - is an organism that lives on or in a host and gets its
food from or at the expense of its host.
 PATHOGENS
 Pathogens can cause infection and disease in several
ways: – One way is by producing toxins, or poisons,
which harm the body and cause disease. – Another
way pathogens can cause infection is by creating an
allergic reaction in the body, which results in
sneezing, watery eyes, and a runny nose. –
Finally, pathogens can invade living cells, attack them,
and even destroy them.
 MICROORGANISM (GERMS)
-oxygen- aerobic
 E. Coli-Urinary tract infection and Diarrhea
 Citrobacter- urinary tract infections, blood stream infections,
intra abdominal sepsis, brain abscesses, and pneumonia and other
neonatal infection , such as meningitis, neonatal sepsis, joint
infection
 Klebsiella- pneumoniae, bloodstream infection, Urinary tract
infection.
 Proteus- urinary tract infections
 Salmonella- diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
 Achromobacter- pneumonia, septicemia, peritonitis, urinary
tract infection.
 MICROORGANISM (GERMS)
-no oxygen –
anaerobic
 BACTERIA
Are one-celled microorganisms that are
classified by shape.
1. (Spherical) cocci
2. (Rod) bacilli
3. (Spiral) spirilla.
4. (Comma) vibrios
5. (Corkscrew) spirochaetes
Though bacteria are single-celled organisms,
they often join into pairs, chains, or clusters.
 SPORES
 Bacteria can also produce
spores.
 Spores are thick-walled cells
created by bacteria to aid in
reproduction and to make the
bacteria resistant to harsh
environments. Spores are
difficult to eliminate and can
result in serious sicknesses.
 Spores are NOT
microorganisms themselves.
MOST DEADLY BACTERIAL INFECTION
 Tuberculosis Diptheria
 Anthrax
 Tetanus
 Leptospirosis
 Pneumonia
 Cholera
 Botulism
 Pseudomonas Infection
 MRSA Infection
 E.Coli Infection
 Meningitis
 Gonorrhea
 Bubonic Plague
 Syphilis
 VIRUSES
Viruses are the smallest type of microorganism.
They are smaller than a single cell and are made up of
only a few molecules. Viruses invade the cells of a living
organism where they reproduce more viruses. A virus
cannot reproduce outside a living cell.
 Question:

Are Viruses a Living

Organism? Explain.
CONCH P - SSPCM
The Viral Life Cycle
 Some viruses are helpful and have even been used in
treatments for bacterial infections. Bacteriophages
(phages) are viruses of bacteria that can kill and lyse the
bacteria they infect. After their discovery early in the 20th
century, phages were widely used to treat various bacterial
diseases in people and animals, There are some viruses can
able to cure hemophilia, a blood disorder that prevents
clotting.
 Diseases caused by Viruses:
 Chicken pox Measles / German Measles
 Mumps Herpes simplex
 Polio Dengue fever
 Rabies Hepatitis B and C
 SARS Influenza
 Warts Ebola
 AIDS/HIV
 Avian Bird Flu
 Herpes Zoster
FUNGI
Fungi are plant-
like microorganisms
that can be found in the
air, in soil, on plants, or
in water. There are
thousands of types of
fungi, including
mushrooms, yeasts, and
molds. Only about half
of these types of fungi
are pathogenic.
Nonpathogenic fungi
Many types of fungi have
helped to make our lives
easier.
For example,:
PENICILLIN is an antibiotic
that is used to kill bacteria in
our bodies. Penicillin is made
from fungi. Additionally, many
types of fungi, such as yeast,
are used in making food.
 MYCOSES
Diseases that are caused by fungi are called
MYCOSES. These diseases include:
 Athlete's foot
 Ringworm
 Jock itch
 Yeast infection ( Candidiasis)
 Thrush
 Onychomycosis
 PARASITES
A. Protozoa are the simplest organisms in the
animal kingdom. They are single-celled
microorganisms, but they often exist in colonies. Most
protozoa need moisture to survive, so they are often
found in watery environments.
There are several types of nonpathogenic protozoa,
such as the protozoa that exist in the large intestines,
their role is to regulate bacteria populations.
 Zooplankton are tiny protozoans which live in the
sea. They form the principal diet of blue whales,
who gulp them in with sea water.
 Disease caused by protozoans:
 Malaria
 Amoebiasis
 Trichomoniasis
 Toxoplasmosis
 Giardiasis
 Chagas disease
 Trypanosomiasis (aka African Sleeping Disease)
 Helminths
Are parasitic worms that feed on a living host to gain
nourishment and protection, while causing poor nutrient
absorption, weakness and disease in the host. These worms
and larvae live in the small bowel and are referred to as
intestinal parasites.
The following groups of worms are classed as helminths:
 Nematodes or roundworms
 Trematodes, which includes flukes or flatworms
 Cestodes or tapeworms
 Monogenans, also members of the flatworm phylum
 Nematodes
Also called roundworm, any worm of the
phylum Nematoda. Nematodes are among the most
abundant animals on Earth.
Nematode infections in humans include:
 Ascariasis Trichinosis
 Trichuriasis dirofilariasis
 hookworm
 Enterobiasis
 Strongyloidiasis
 Filariasis
Ascaris Lumbricoides Trichuris trichiura/Whipworm

Ancylostoma duodenale/Hookworm
Enterobius vermicularis/Pinworm Trichinella Spiralis

Filarial Worm/ Wucheriria

Bancrofti
FILARIASIS (ELEPHANTIASIS)
Main Problem: A parasitic disease by an African
eye worm.
Etiologic Agent: Wucheriria Bancrofti, Brugia
Malayi, BrugiaTimori
Incubation Period: 8 to 16 months
Mode of Transmission: person to person by the
bite of an infected mosquito.
Vector: Aedes Poicilius (Breed in axilled plants
like gabi, banana and abaca.)
Endemic: Marinduque, Ilo-Ilo and Saranggani
DOC: Diethylcarbamazine Citrate or Hetrazan.
Prevention and Control:
1. Environmental sanitation such as proper
drainage and cleanliness of the surroundings.
2. Spraying with insecticides.
S&Sx:
1. Itchy skin (Pruritis)
2. Abdominal pain
3. Chest pain
4. Muscle pain (myalgias)
5. Swelling areas of the skin
6. Abnormally enlarged liver and
spleen. (Hepatosplenomegaly)
Common complications of filariasis
include chronic lymphedema,
hydrocele, skin pigmentation, and
renal impairment like chyluria.
Prognosis is generally good in early cases,
but in chronic cases the disease can leave
an individual severely disabled with
genital damage.
Chyluria is when there is chyle in
the pee. Chyle is a milky fluid made
in the bowels (intestines) during
digestion.
Chyluria is caused by microfilariae
of a mosquito-borne nematode
(Wuchereria bancrofti) causing
rupture of lymphatic varices
into the urinary tract.
 If left untreated, chronic chyluria
can lead to malnutrition and fat-
soluble vitamin deficiency.
 TREMATODES
Is a class within the phylum Platyhelminthes. It includes two
groups of parasitic flatworms, known as flukes. They are
internal parasites of molluscs and vertebrates.
Trematodes can be found anywhere where untreated human
waste is used as fertilizer.
Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia, bilharziosis or snail fever)
is an example of a parasitic disease caused by one of the species of
trematodes (platyhelminth infection, or "flukes"), a parasitic worm of
the genus Schistosoma Japonicum.
How can I get schistosomiasis? Infection occurs when your skin
comes in contact with contaminated freshwater in which
certain types of snails that carry schistosomes are living.
Freshwater becomes contaminated by Schistosoma eggs when
infected people urinate or defecate in the water.
 Schistosomiasis can usually be treated successfully with a
short course of a medication called praziquantel,
which kills the worms. Praziquantel is most effective once
the worms have grown a bit, so treatment may need to be
repeated a few weeks after your first dose.
 Cestodes
or tapeworms, include multiple species of flat
worms that can reside in the human gastrointestinal tract.

The species that most commonly cause human disease

include:
 Taenia saginatum (beef tapeworm)
 Taenia solium (pork tapeworm)
 Taenia asiatica (Asian tapeworm)
 Diphyllobothrium latum
 Hymenolepis nana
 Taenia saginatum (beef tapeworm)

Taenia solium (pork tapeworm) Taenia asiatica (Asian tapeworm)

 Taeniasis in humans is a parasitic
infection caused by the tapeworm
species Taenia saginata (beef
tapeworm), Taenia solium (pork tapeworm),
and Taenia asiatica (Asian tapeworm).
Humans can become infected with
these tapeworms by eating raw or
undercooked beef (T. saginata) or pork (T.
solium and T. asiatica). People with taeniasis
may not know they have a tapeworm
infection because symptoms are usually mild
or nonexistent.
Taenia solium tapeworm infections can
lead to cysticercosis, which is a disease that
can cause seizures, so it is important seek
treatment.
 Diphyllobothrium latum (Fish tapeworm)

Diphyllobothriasis is caused by ingestion of raw,

undercooked, or unfrozen infected fish and
subsequent intestinal infection. Symptoms of
diphyllobothriasis are usually mild and include fatigue,
stomach discomfort, diarrhea or constipation.
Hymenolepiasis

When eggs are ingested by an arthropod

intermediate host (various species of beetles
and fleas may serve as intermediate hosts) It can
infect humans or rodents upon ingestion and
develop into adults in the small intestine . eggs
are ingested (in contaminated food or water or
from hands contaminated with feces). Symptoms
are weakness, headaches, anorexia, abdominal
pain, and diarrhea.
Hymenolepis nana
 Require certain elements to survive :
 Warm temperature
 Moisture
 Dark area to grow
 Require certain elements to survive:
FOOD
 Dead tissue – saprophytes
 Living tissue - Parasites
 Body Defense Against
Microorganism/Germs
 External natural defense
 Skin as mechanical barrier
 Mucous membrane
 Cilia – fine microscopic hairs in
nose
 Coughing and sneezing
 Hydrochloric acid in stomach
 Tears
 Body Defense Against
Microorganism/Germs
 Internal natural
defense
 Phagocytes
 Inflammation
 Fever
 Immune response
INFECTIOUS AGENT- Any
microorganism capable of producing
disease.
BACTERIA
VIRUSES
FUNGI
PROTOZOA
For example:
 smallpox virus
 tuberculosis bacillus
 SARS-CoV-2 virus.
 Entamoeba Histolytica
 Plasmodium Falciparum
 Neisseria Gonorrhea
RESERVOIR-Environment
or object on which an organism
can survive or multiply.
Human with active cases
of disease or those that
carry disease without
having symptoms
Animals/insects
Fomites
Environment
PORTAL OF EXIT- The
venue or way in which the
organism leaves the reservoir.
 Tears (Slight risk)
 Saliva/ respiratory tract
secretions
 Urine
 Feces
 Wound drainage
 Reproductive tract secretions
MODE OF TRANSMISSION-
The means by which the infectious
agent passes from the portal of exit
from the reservoir to the susceptible
host.
 Contact
-direct- person to person
-indirect- fomite to person
 Droplet
 CommonVehicle
-salmonella in food
 Airborne (tuberculosis)
 Vector-borne ( malaria parasite)
PORTAL OF ENTRY-Permits
the organism to gain entrance into
the host.
 Cuts/break in the skin
 Opening in the mucous
membrane
 Respiratory system
 Gastrointestinal system
 Urinary system
 Reproductive system
 Mother to fetus
SUSCEPTIBLE HOST-
A person at risk for infection,
whose defense mechanism are
unable to withstand invasion of
pathogens.
 Nosocomial Infection

 Exogenous Nosocomial Infection: Pathogen acquired from

health-care environment.
Example: clostridium
 Endogenous Nosocomial Infection: Normal flora multiply and
cause infection as a result of treatment.
Example: yeast infection
 Latrogenic Nosocomial Infection: Infection from a procedure.
Example: UTI from foley insertion
 Causes of Nosocomial Infection:
1. UTI
2. Insertion
3. Contamination of drainage system,
4. Improper cleansing
5. Surgical site
6. Improper technique for handwashing or dressing change
7. URI
8. Improper handwashing or suctioning technique
9. IV
10. Improper handwashing or site care
11. Extended LOS in hospital
12. Multiple care givers
13. Antibiotic choices and over use
14. Improper medical or surgical asepsis
 Who is at risk for Nosocomial
Infection?
Age - Very young and very old
 Poor nutritional status Smoker, ETOH use
Existing co-morbid conditions
Chronic illnesses, chemo,radiation
Clients with invasive procedures
Clients with prolonged stress
 Caregiver’s Role
 Containing nosocomial infections CLEAN, DISINFECT,
STERILIZE
 Controlling/eliminating reservoirs
 Bathing, dressing changes, patent drainage systems
 Controlling the portal of exit
 Cover mouth/nose, wear mask, client teaching
 Controlling transmission
 Do not share equipment, proper handling of linens,
HANDWASHING
 Controlling portal of entry
 Maintain skin integrity, position changes, proper wiping
techniques, maintain drainage integrity
 Preventing the spread of microorganisms by
following certain practices and procedures:
 MEDICAL ASEPSIS - is the term used to describe the technique
employed to prevent the spread of disease from one patient to
another.
 SURGICAL ASEPSIS– refers to procedures to keep an area
sterile.
 STERILE – process of creating an environment free from disease-
causing organisms (Autoclaving)
 CLEAN – uncontaminated; disease cannot spread; minimize
microorganism. (handwashing)
 DIRTY – contaminated objects (linen, clothes, water etc.)
 STERILIZE – process of killing all microorganism
 DISINFECTION - the process of cleaning something, especially
with a chemical, in order to destroy bacteria.
 Preventing the spread of microorganisms by
following certain practices and procedures:
 CONCURRENT DISINFECTION –Done immediately after
the discharge of infectious materials/secretions.
 TERMINAL DISINFECTION –Applied when the patient is no
longer the source of infection.

 BACTERICIDAL –A chemical that kills microorganism.

 BACTERIOSTATIC –An agents that prevents bacterial
multiplication but does not kill microorganism.
 Medical Asepsis vs Surgical Asepsis

 Medical asepsis is maintaining a clean environment in order to

reduce the number of pathogens. It is also called clean technique.
Common medical aseptic practices include handwashing, routine
cleaning, and using personal protective equipment, such as gloves
and masks.
 Surgical asepsis is maintaining a sterile field. A sterile field is an
environment that is free from all microorganisms and spores.
Surgical asepsis is also known as sterile technique. It is required for
most invasive procedures and operations
 Medical Asepsis
Medical asepsis, also called “clean technique,”
reduces the number and transmission of disease-causing
microorganisms after they leave the body, but doesn’t
necessarily eliminate them. It is used to care for clients with
infectious diseases; to prevent reinfection of the client; and
to avoid spreading infection from one person to another, or
throughout the facility.
 The core medical aseptic practices
include the following:
1. Handwashing
2. Cleaning the environment
3. Wearing appropriate PPE (gloves, gowns, masks, face
shields, hair and shoe covers)
4. Disinfecting articles and surfaces
5. The use of antiseptics.
6. Proper disposal of garbage and waste materials.
 How do you practice Medical Asepsis in
personal life and work setting?
 Bathing, washing of hair and brushing of teeth on regular basis.
 Wash hands after use of bathroom
 Wash hands before and after caring for each patient.
 Using approved waterless hand cleaner.
 Washing the patients hands before and after meals.
 Washing hands prior to handling food
 Washing fruits and vegetables before serving or consuming
 Washing of cooking and eating utensils after each use.
How do you practice Medical Asepsis in
personal life and work setting?
 Maintain personal hygiene of the patient
 Provide clean dress and linen to the patient
 Covering nose and mouth prior to coughing and sneezing or
blowing nose then wash hands
 Cleaning the patient’s unit
 Cleaning all reusable equipment after use.
 Follow sanitation practices.