Notes

-Infection Control-
What causes people to get sick? How is a disease spread from one person to another? What can we do to stop the spread of infection and disease? As a healthcare worker, it is important to know the answers to these questions. When you understand what causes infection, you can learn how to prevent it. Infection control is a set of practices and procedures that prevent or stop the spread of infection in healthcare settings.
-Microorganisms-
Microorganisms, or microbes, are small living bodies that are not visible to the naked eye. Some microorganisms are helpful. Non-pathogens are helpful microorganisms that do not cause disease. Some of these microbes maintain body processes and are important for our health. The majority of microbes are harmless to humans. Other microorganisms are harmful. Pathogens are microorganisms capable of causing disease in a human host. Pathogens are capable of causing disease and can challenge the immune system in several ways. Pathogens kill cells, disrupt cell function, and create toxins that can paralyze cells, cause inflammation, and disable the host’s immune system. There are four types of pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Parasites include protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites.
-Bacteria-
Bacteria are one-celled microorganisms that are classified by shape. Cocci are round, bacilli are rod-shaped, and spirilla are spiral or corkscrew-shaped. Though bacteria are single-celled organisms, they often join into pairs, chains, or clusters. Many bacteria are helpful. Also, several food products, such as yogurt and cheese, are made using bacteria that aid in digestion, also known as probiotics. Some bacteria, however, produce toxins that make people sick. Bacteria can also produce spores. Spores preserve genetic material and help bacteria survive harsh environments. Because of this process, many conditions caused by spore-forming bacteria are difficult to treat and can lead to serious, long-term illnesses.
Diseases caused by bacteria include:
-Food poisoning
-Strep throat
-Tetanus
-Syphilis
-Cholera
-Clostridium difficile or C. difficile

-Parasites-
A parasite is an organism that lives on or in an organism of a different species. It survives by taking nutrients from the host.
Three types of parasites that cause disease in humans include protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites.
There are several types of non-pathogenic protozoa, such as the protozoa that exist in the large intestines.
However, pathogenic protozoa cause malaria, Chagas disease, and African sleeping sickness.

-Fungi-
Fungi are plant-like microorganisms that can be found in the air, in soil, on plants, or in water. There are millions of types of fungi, including mushrooms, yeasts, and molds. Only a few hundred of them are pathogenic.
In fact, 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.
Diseases that are caused by fungi are called mycoses. These diseases include:
-Athlete's foot
-Ringworm
-Yeast infections
-Thrush

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 cause disease by invading host cells where they take nutrients required to multiply. A virus cannot reproduce outside a living cell. Some viruses are helpful and have even been used in treatments for bacterial infections. But, like other microorganisms, many viruses are pathogenic.
Diseases caused by viruses include:
-Common cold
-Chickenpox
-Measles
-Herpes
-Hepatitis
-HIV and AIDS