Nursing 400 Exam 2 Practice Questions
and Correct Answers
Infectious agent ✅a pathogen, such as a bacterium or virus that can cause a disease
Bacteria ✅- Most significant and most commonly observe infection-causing agent in
health care institutions
- Categorized by shape
Cocci (spherical)
Bacilli (rod-shaped)
Spirochetes (corkscrew)
- Gram positive, have thick walls that resist the loss of color. Will stain violet
- Gram negative, complex cell walls that can be decolorized by alcohol. Will not stain
- Antibiotics are classified as specifically effective against only gram-positive organisms
or as
broad spectrum and effective against several groups of microorganisms
- Require oxygen: aerobic
Bacteria shapes ✅Cocci (spherical)
Bacilli (rod-shaped)
Spirochetes (corkscrew)
Gram-positive bacteria ✅have thick walls that resist the loss of color.
Will stain violet
Gram-negative bacteria ✅complex cell walls that can be decolorized by alcohol.
Will not stain
Antibiotics ✅compounds that block the growth and reproduction of bacteria
are classified as specifically effective against only gram-positive organisms
broad spectrum antibiotics ✅effective against several groups of microorganisms
Aerobic bacteria ✅Bacteria that require oxygen for survival
Anaerobic bacteria ✅bacteria that do not require oxygen to survive
Viruses ✅- Smallest of all microorganisms, only visible with electron microscope
,- Causes infections like; common cold, hepatitis B and C, and AIDS
- Antibiotics have no effect
Antivirals ✅are effective and when given during the prodromal stage of certain viruses
they can shorten the full stage of illness (ex: Tamiflu)
Fungi ✅- Plant-like organisms (molds and yeast)
- Present in air, soil, and water
- Ex: Athlete's foot , ringworm, and yeast infections
- Treated with antifungal medications, however many are resistant to treatment
Parasites ✅- Can live on or in a host and rely on it for nourishment
- Ex: Malaria from a disease infecting a certain type of mosquito that then feeds on
humans
Organisms Potential to Produce Disease ✅Number of organisms (the more the better)
Virulence (ability to produce disease)
Competence of person's immune system
Length/intimacy of contact between person and organism (colonization=long contact)
Normal flora ✅is our body's natural defense system made up of microorganisms
Colonization ✅when an organism lives in the person's body with no clinical signs of an
infection
- Infection is present once the person exhibits specific manifestations of the disease
Person's defense mechanisms ✅are either effective or ineffective in responding to the
bacterial invasion. In ineffective, infection will result
Reservoir ✅used for growth and multiplication of microorganisms and is the natural
habitat of the organism
- People
- Animals
- Soil
- Food
,- Water
- Milk
- Inanimate objects
Carriers ✅individuals that are a reservoir and show no sign and symptoms. They are
asymptomatic and can transmit the disease.
Examples of Reservoirs ✅Rabies virus- in animals (dogs, squirrels, bats, and
raccoons)
West Nile- in animals (birds). Mosquitos feed on infected birds, become infected and
pass the infection on to people when feeding on their blood
Water- Giardia, E.coli, Shigella
Food- E.coli,
Milk- Listeria (unless it is pasteurized)
Portal of Exit ✅point of escape for the organism from the reservoir
ex. sneeze
Means of Transmission ✅direct contact
indirect contact
airborne route
Some organisms can be transported in more than one way.
Vehicles of transmission ✅blood, food, water, or inanimate objects
Vectors ✅mosquitos, ticks, lice transmit organisms from one host to another by
injecting salivary fluid when a human bite occurs
Airbonrne ✅germs float through the air after a person talks, coughs, or sneezes.
Germs can be inhaled even after the original person is no longer nearby. Direct contact
with the infectious person is NOT needed for someone else to get sick. Chicken pox
and TB are spread through the air.
smaller that 5mcm
Droplets ✅- fluids in large droplets from a sick person splash the eyes, nose, or mouth
of another person or through a cut in the skin. Droplets may cause short-term
environmental contamination, like a soiled bathroom surface or handrails, from which
another person can pick up the infectious material.
, MRSA sputum, Plague can be spread through large droplets. Ebola might be spread
through large droplets but only when a person is very sick
larger than 5 mcm
Portal of entry ✅point at which organisms enter a new host
Susceptible host ✅a person likely to get an infection or disease
must overcome resistance mounted by host's defenses
ex. elderly, malnourished
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ✅Protective equipment that blocks exposure to
a pathogen or a hazardous material.
Gloves, gowns, masks (N95), and protective eye gear
Nosocomial infection ✅hospital acquired infection
Measures to reduce Nosocomial infections ✅- Constant surveillance by infection-
control committees and nurse epidemiologists
- Written infection-prevention practices for all agency personnel
- HAND HYGIENE
- Infection control precaution technique
- Keeping patient in best possible physical condition
Defense against infection. ✅- Integrity of skin and mucous membranes
- pH levels of GI and GU tracts, as well as skin which help to ward off microbial invasion
- Integrity and number of the body's white blood cells, which provide resistance to
certain pathogens
- Immunization, natural or acquired, which act to resist infection
-young
High risk for infection ✅elderly, race, genentics
malnourished
