Chain of infection

1. State the types of host-microbe interactions (symbiosis)?

Mutualism  long-term relationship between individuals of different species where both
individuals benefit
Commensalism  relationship between two living organisms where one benefits and
the other is not significantly harmed or helped
Parasitism  the parasite benefits while the host is harmed

2. Give examples for mutualistic host-microbe interaction in humans?

 Colonic mucosa with thick layer of bacteria (normal gut flora)

 Bacteria on skin surface

3. State how the normal gut flora benefits humans?

 Normal flora aid development of the immune system
 Vitamin K production
 Competitive exclusion – prevent growth of harmful bacteria

4. Give an example for a commensalism relationship in human body?

  Presence of Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria in the digestive tract. 

5. What is known as the “chain of infection”?

Transmission occurs when the agent leaves its reservoir or host through
a portal of exit, is conveyed by some mode of transmission, and enters
through an appropriate portal of entry to infect a susceptible host. This
sequence is called the chain of infection.

6. What is considered a reservoir (source) of infection?

 Organism or habitat in which the agent normally lives, grows, and
multiplies and does not go extinct.
Humans are the most common reservoirs of pathogens that can infect themselves

7. List the common reservoirs (sources) of infection

 Humans
 Animals
 Soil
  Water
 Food

8. What is known as “portal of exit”?

 Portal of exit is the path by which a pathogen leaves its original host
(reservoir).
[The portal of exit usually corresponds to the site where the pathogen is
localized. For example, influenza viruses and Mycobacterium tuberculosis exit the
respiratory tract, cholera vibrios in feces]

9. What is transmission of infection?

 Spreading of a pathogen from host to another host is called
transmission

10.What is known as routes/modes of transmission of an infection?

 The pathway of pathogens to reach a susceptible host from its
reservoir is called 'transmission route/mode'.

11.State the main routes/modes of transmission of an infection?

Direct
 Direct contact – direct contact with reservoir harboring infectious
organisms
 Droplet spread – transmission is by direct spray of droplets over a
few feet, before the droplets fall to the ground
Indirect
 Vehicle borne – by inanimate objects
 Vector borne – by animate intermediate hosts

12.Explain direct mode of transmission of an infection?

Occurs by direct contact and droplet spread
 Direct contact  direct contact with reservoir harboring infectious
organisms
Eg:
Skin-to-skin contact, kissing, and sexual intercourse.
 Contact with soil or vegetation harboring infectious organisms.

 Droplet spread  transmission is by direct spray of droplets over a

few feet, before the droplets fall to the ground
Eg:
Spray with relatively large, short-range aerosols produced by
sneezing, coughing, or even talking

13.What is “vertical transmission”?

 A type of direct transmission where the pathogen is transmitted from
mother to her child
14.Explain indirect mode of transmission of an infection?
 Indirect transmission refers to the transfer of an infectious agent
from a reservoir to a host by inanimate objects (vehicles), or animate
intermediaries (vectors).

15.What is vehicle borne transmission?

 Vehicle-borne transmission is an indirect transmission process during
which the pathogen is indirectly transferred from a reservoir to
another host by inanimate intermediary vehicle objects.

16.Give examples for vehicle borne transmission methods?

 Air
 Water
 Food
 Soil
 Fomites

17.What is a fomite?
 Objects or materials which are likely to carry infection such as
clothes, utensils, and furniture.

18.What is vector borne transmission?

 Vector transmission occurs when a living organism carries an
infectious agent on its body (mechanical) or as an infection host itself
(biological), to a new host.
19.What is a portal of entry?
 The portal of entry refers to the manner in which a pathogen enters
a susceptible host.

20.List common entry points (portals of entry) of human body for pathogens?
 Respiratory tract
 Gastrointestinal tract
 Genital tract
 Urinary tract
 Skin

21.Describe endogenous infections?

  Infection that is caused by reactivation of organisms which lie
dormant within the body - when microbes included in normal
bacteria flora enter a sterile area of the body (where it is not
normally present)

22.Give an example for a common endogenous infection?

 When the residential bacterium E. coli of the GI tract enters the
urinary tract, cause UTI.
 When the residential bacterium streptococcus pyogenes of the GI
tract enters the respiratory tract, cause URI.

23.What is exogenous infection?

 Infectious that originates from a pathogen who entered from outside
the body (from environment or other hosts)

24.State the Meaning of Infective and infectious?

 Infective – capable of causing a disease
 Infectious – contagious / spreading

25.Define communicable and non-communicable infections?

Communicable infectious disease (Exogenous infections)
– A disease than can be transmitted from one person to another
Non communicable infectious disease (Endogenous infections)
– A disease that cannot be transmitted from one person to another
26.List the difference between communicable and non-communicable
infections
Communicable infections Non-Communicable infections
A disease that can be transmitted A disease that cannot be
from one person to another transmitted from one person to
another
It is an exogenous infection It is an endogenous infection

27.What is an opportunistic infection?

 An infection that does not cause disease in a normal healthy person,
but takes the advantage to cause disease in a person whose
immunity is compromised.
Eg: most infections occurring in patients with AIDS