Dictionary

Infection control

Organisms, precautions and the practices that stop infection spreading.

C. difficileClostridioides difficile, a spore-forming bacterium that can infect the colon (the large intestine).

CandidaA group of yeasts that normally live on the skin and in the mouth, gut and vagina and can overgrow to cause infection.

candidiasisAn infection caused by Candida, a yeast (a kind of fungus).

carbuncleA cluster of boils joined under the skin: a deep infection of several neighboring hair follicles.

catheter-associated urinary tract infectionA urinary tract infection that develops in a person who has, or recently had, a urinary catheter in place.

catheter-related bloodstream infectionAn infection of the blood that comes from germs entering through an intravenous catheter.

CD4A protein on the surface of helper T cells; a CD4 count measures how many of these immune cells are in the blood.

CD4 countA blood test that counts CD4 T cells, the white blood cells that HIV infects and destroys.

CD8A marker on the surface of cytotoxic (killer) T cells, the white blood cells that destroy infected and cancer cells; also those cells themselves.

ceftriaxoneA third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic given by injection into a vein or muscle.

cellulitisA bacterial infection of the deeper layers of the skin and the tissue just under it.

Centers for Disease Control and PreventionThe United States government agency that studies disease and sets national guidance on preventing and controlling it.

cephalexinA first-generation cephalosporin antibiotic taken by mouth for skin, urinary, ear and other bacterial infections.

cephalosporinA large group of antibiotics related to penicillin that kill bacteria by damaging their cell walls.

ChlamydiaA sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis; also the name of the bacterium.

colonizationHaving germs living on or in the body without causing illness.

common coldA mild viral infection of the nose and throat.

communicableAble to be passed from one person, or animal, to another.

communicable diseaseA disease that can spread from one person, or animal, to another.

community-acquired pneumoniaPneumonia that a person develops outside a hospital or long-term care facility.

conjunctivitisInflammation of the thin, clear layer that covers the white of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids.

contact precautionsInfection control steps, used on top of standard precautions, for germs that spread by touching the client or things around them.

contaminationThe presence of germs or harmful substances on something that should be clean or sterile.

coronavirusOne of a family of viruses with crown-like spikes on their surface that infect the airways.

COVIDCOVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019: an infectious illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

culture and sensitivityA lab test that grows the germs from a sample to identify them and see which antibiotics work against them.

cytomegalovirusA common virus of the herpes family that stays in the body for life after infection.