Infection control

A blood test used to screen for syphilis by looking for antibodies the body makes during the infection.

To take off a contaminated sterile gown and gloves and put on a fresh sterile gown and gloves during a procedure.

Waste soaked or visibly soiled with blood or body fluid, which must be bagged, labeled and disposed of under state and federal rules.

The steps that make a used reusable medical device safe to use on the next patient.

A place where germs live and multiply, such as a person, animal, water or soil.

The microbes that live in a body area all the time, on the skin deep in creases, hair follicles and oil glands, where washing cannot reach them all.

A close-fitting mask or hood that filters the air a person breathes to protect them from germs or harmful particles.

A common virus that infects the nose, throat and lungs, most often in babies and young children.

The innermost zone of the surgical suite, holding the operating rooms, where surgical attire and a mask are required.

A group of antibiotics, including rifampin, used mainly for tuberculosis; also one drug of that name for travelers' diarrhea.

A fungal skin infection that forms a ring-shaped patch; it is not caused by a worm.

An HIV protease inhibitor, now used mostly in low doses to raise the blood levels of other antiviral drugs.

Ribonucleic acid: a molecule in cells that copies genetic instructions from DNA and helps build proteins.

The cleaning, disinfection and preparation of an operating room between one patient and the next.

A common viral illness of babies and toddlers caused by human herpesvirus 6 or 7.

Inflammation of the smallest airways of the lungs from respiratory syncytial virus, mostly in infants.

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction: a lab test that finds the genetic material of a virus or other germ in a sample.

A contagious illness caused by the rubella virus; also called German measles.