Dictionary

Infection control

Organisms, precautions and the practices that stop infection spreading.

maskA covering for the nose and mouth, worn to block germs or to deliver oxygen.

measlesA very contagious illness caused by the measles virus; also called rubeola.

medical asepsisClean technique: practices that lower the number of germs and stop them spreading from one person or object to another.

meningitisInflammation of the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.

methicillinAn older penicillin-type antibiotic, no longer used in treatment, whose name lives on in MRSA.

metronidazoleAn antibiotic and antiparasitic drug that treats infections caused by anaerobic bacteria and some protozoa.

microbeA living thing too small to see without a microscope, such as a bacterium, fungus or parasite; viruses are often included.

microbiologyThe study of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites; also the lab that tests for them.

microorganismA living thing too small to see without a microscope, such as a bacterium, virus, fungus or parasite.

MMR vaccineA combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.

mode of transmissionThe way a germ travels from where it lives to a new person.

mRNAMessenger RNA: a molecule that carries a gene's instructions from DNA to the parts of the cell that build proteins.

MRSAMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a staph bacterium that many common antibiotics cannot kill.

mumpsA contagious disease caused by the mumps virus that mainly infects the salivary glands in front of the ears.

mupirocinAn antibiotic ointment or cream used on the skin or inside the nose.