Dictionary

Infection control

Organisms, precautions and the practices that stop infection spreading.

pandemicAn outbreak of disease that spreads across several countries or continents and affects very many people.

PAPRPowered air-purifying respirator: a respirator with a battery fan that pushes filtered air into a hood or mask.

parasiteA living thing that lives on or in another living thing and gets its food from it, often causing harm.

pathogenA germ, such as a bacterium, virus, fungus or parasite, that can cause disease.

PCRPolymerase chain reaction: a lab method that copies tiny amounts of genetic material so a germ or a gene can be detected.

pediculosisInfestation with lice, tiny wingless insects that live on the body and feed on blood.

pelvic inflammatory diseaseInfection of the female upper reproductive organs: the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.

penicillinsA group of antibiotics, including penicillin and amoxicillin, that kill bacteria by stopping them from building their cell walls.

permethrinA cream or lotion put on the skin or hair to kill lice and the mites that cause scabies.

personal protective equipmentGear worn to protect a health worker from germs and body fluids, such as gloves, gowns, masks, respirators and eye protection.

pertussisA very contagious infection of the airways caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis; also called whooping cough.

pneumoniaAn infection of one or both lungs in which the air sacs fill with fluid or pus.

postexposureHappening after a person has been exposed to an infection, poison or other hazard.

povidone-iodineA brown antiseptic solution of iodine used to kill germs on the skin before procedures and on wounds.

precautionA step taken ahead of time to prevent harm, such as the infection-control practices used with every client.

prophylaxisTreatment given to prevent a disease or problem, rather than to treat one that is already present.

protective environmentA special hospital room and set of precautions that keep germs away from a client whose immune system is very weak.

protozoaTiny living things made of a single cell with a nucleus, some of which cause disease in people.

pulmonary tuberculosisTuberculosis of the lungs, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

purulentContaining or made of pus: thick, cloudy fluid that may be yellow, green, tan or brown.

pusThick fluid made of white blood cells, dead tissue and germs that collects at a site of infection.

py/oA word part that means pus.

pyelonephritisA bacterial infection of the kidney, usually spread up from the bladder.