INFECTION CONTROL IN

CLINICAL SETTING

BY: RINKAL PATEL

 DEFITION

 The infection can be defined as the entry of

germs in the body of an individual followed by
the multiplication of the same leading to the
formation of specific or non specific reaction
by the body with or without any clinical
symptoms and/ or disease.
 TYPES OF INFECTION
Primary:- Initial infection with a parasite
Secondary :- primary infection lowers the
resistance of the host and later gets infection
with another microorganisms.
Reinfection:- subsequent infection with the
same organism
Cross:- patient suffering from a disease and
new infection is set up from another source
Nosocomial:- cross infection occurring in
hospitals
Iatrogenic or physician induced:- infection is
acquired during therapeutic or investigative
procedures
Focal:- infection at localized site like appendix
and tonsils, general effects are produced
Subclinical:- clinical symptoms of an infection
are not apparent.
Local:- invading microorganism are limited
to a relatively small area of the body
Systematic:- microorganisms or their
products are spread throughout the body by
blood or lymph
Mixed:- two or more microbes infecting same
tissues
Acute:- have a short duration
Chronic:- Have a long duration
Pyrogenic:- pus formation
Fulminating:- Occur suddenly and with
severe intensity
Latent:- parasite after infection, remains in a
latent or hidden form & produces clinical
diseases when the host resistance is lowered
 MODE OF DIEASE TRANSMISSION:-
 Communicable disease may be transmitted
from the reservoir or source of infections to a
susceptible individual in many different ways,
depending upon the infections agents, portal of
entry and the local ecological conditions.
 1. Direct contact:-
 Infect may be transmitted by direct contact
from skin to skin, mucosa to mucosa or
mucosal to skin of the same or another
perspon.
 2. Droplet infection:-
 Droplet infection occurs to contact
transmission by infections agents contained in
most respiratory secretions
 3. Contact with soil:-
 Infectious agent are present in soil can cause
disease, when the host comes in the contact
with soil.
 4. Inoculation into skin or mucosed:
 The disease agent may: be inoculated directly
into the skin or mucosa,
 Transmission of infection an infection after
dog bite.
 5. transplacental(vertical):-
 Transmission of infectious agent can occur
transplacentally.
 CHAIN OF INFECTION
 an infection will develop if this chain remains
intact.
 Nurses use infection prevention and control
practices to break the chain so that infection
will not develop.
 1. Infectious agent:-
 Microorganisms include bacteria, viruses,
fungi and protozoa.
 They are common infectious agents.
 The potential for microorganism or parasites to

cause disease depends on the following factors:

1. Sufficient number of organism
2. Virulence or ability to produce disease
3. Ability to enter and survive to the host
4. Susceptibility of host.
 2. reservoir:-
 A reservoir is where a pathogen can survive.
 Skin of patients, carriers, animals, food, water
insects, and inanimate objects are common
reservoirs of infection.
 3. Portal of exist:-
 Microorganism can enter through a variety of
sites such as skin and mucous membrane,
respiratory tract, urinary tract, gastrointestinal
tract, reproductive tract and blood.
 4. Mode of transmission:-
 Direct contact or indirect contact with infected
source, contaminated air, water, blood, food,
flies, mosquito are the common modes of
transmission to infection.
 Major mode of transmission of
microorganisms occurs in the hands of the
health care providers.
 5. Portal of entry:-
 Organisms can enter the body through skin,
mucous membranes, respiratory tract,
gastrointestinal tract, reproductive tract &
blood.
 6. Susceptible host:-
 Whether a person acquires an infection
depends on susceptibility to an infectious
agent.
 Susceptibility depends on the individual degree
of resistance to a pathogen.
 The susceptibility of host depends upon the
virulence of microorganisms and immune
status of the host.
 STAGES OF INFECTIONS:-
1. Incubation period:- Interval between entrance
of pathogen into body and appearance of first
symptoms. ex:- common cold 1-2 days.
2. Prodromal stage:- Interval from onset of non-
specific signs and symptoms to more specific
symptoms. During this time, microorganisms
grow and multiply and patient is more capable
of spreading disease to other.
3. Illness stage:- interval when patient manifests sign &
symptoms specific to particular disease. Ex. : common
cold: sore throat, rhinitis, high fever, parotid and salivary
gland swelling.
The severity of patient’s illness depends on the extent of
infection, the pathogenicity of the microorganisms and
susceptibility of individuals.
4. Convalescence:- interval when acute symptoms of
infection disappear unit the individual regain his normal
health.
Length of recovery depends on severity of infection and
patient’s general health status.
Recovery may take several days to months.
 FACTORS INFLUENNG THE RISK OF
INFECTION
 Risk of infection depends upon many factors,
like host susceptibility, which is further
influenced by certain factors like:-
 Age:-
 In newborns and in older people there is less
immune defence to fight against infection, so
they are at risk of getting infection.
 Immature immune system is one of the major
cause of death in the newborns.
 In older people, the immune system become
weak so they are more susceptible fro getting
infections.
 Nutrition:-
 Adequate nutrition is required to fight with
infections.
 The ability to synthesis the protein depends
upon the adequate nutrition, the reason behind
this is antibodies protein.
 Medications:-
 Some medications like anticancer drug
increase the risk for infection, because they
suppress the bone marrow, which in the turn
reduce the function of white blood cells
(WBCs), which helps to fight against
infections.
 Comorbid diseases condition:-
 Certain disease conditions decrease or weaken
the immune system.
 Ex:- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
 Genetic factor:-
 Some persons have genetic factors that
predispose the patient for infections.
 Like some patient have immunoglobulin
deficiency mechanism and make the person
susceptible for infections.
 Neutropenia:-
 Neutropenia means decreases in the WBC
count.
 As white cells fight against infections, as the
number of WBCs decrease the person becomes
more susceptible for infection.
 BODY DEFENCE AGAINST
INFECTIONS
 Whenever the infectious agent enters in the
body tissues, persons have defense mechanism,
which protects the person from infections.
 The person has two types of response
nonspecific and specific defence.
 Nonspecific Defences
 Anatomical & physiological barriers:-
Normal skin and mucous membranes act as the
first barrier against microorganisms unless it is
non-infect or broken.
 Skin acts as an effective barrier against certain
bacteria.
 Inflammatory responses:- inflammatory
responses occur in response to the injurious or
infectious agent.
 This is a defensive mechanism that eliminate
or dilute the injurious agent.
 They also prevent the future spread of the
injury and encourage the repair of the damaged
tissues.
 The person has the following signs &
symptoms in response to inflammatory
response, which includes pain, swelling,
redness, heat over the area when the injury is
severe. Injurious agent can be:
 Physical agent
 Chemical agent
 microorganism
 Specific Defense
 It involves the immune system reaction in
response to an infectious agent.
 The immune system reacts in two way:
 Antibody mediated before defence
mechanism
This is also known as humoral immunity.
 There are two types of immunity-active & passive one.
 In active immunity the person produces antibodies in

response to a natural antigen like microorganisms and

artificial antigen like vaccines.
 The B cells become active when they identify the antigen.
 B cells divide into plasma cells, which secrete proteins

and antibodies.
 These antibodies will bind to the antigens and dose an

elimination response.
 In passive immunity the person develops a natural or

artificial antibody.
 Cell-mediated defence mechanism:-
 This is also known as cellular immunity, which comes
through T cells.
 When person is exposed to the antigen then activated
T cells are released by the lymphoid tissues to lymph
system.
 There are three main types of T cells which includes
helper T cells, cytotoxic T cells and suppressor T cells.
 When cell-mediated immune defence deficiency virus
then person is at more risk of developing the
infections.