what was the portal of entry for the infectious agent in both patient cases?

– Respiratory tract is the most common portal of entry - through inhalation (common cold, influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis …) – Gastrointestinal tract - through food, water and contaminated hands (hepatatis A, typhoid fever, amoebic disentery …) – Genitourinary tract - through sexual contact (STD’s) Is the number of invading microbes important?

Full Answer

What is the portal of entry for infectious agents?

The Portal of Entry into Humans . Infectious disease agents can enter the human body through very different paths. They can be inhaled with the air (the respiratory system). Eating contaminated food and drinking contaminated water (gastrointestinal system) can infect persons and of course through sexual activities.

What is portal of entry and exit in microbiology?

Oct 24, 2016 · The portal of entry refers to the site at which the infectious agent enters a susceptible host and gains access to host tissues. Many portals of entry are the same as portals of exit and include the gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and respiratory tracts, as well as compromised skin and mucous membrane surfaces.

Can an infectious agent naturally enter a susceptible host?

5. Portal of entry The portal of entry is the path by which an infectious agent invades a susceptible host. Usually, this path is the same as the portal of exit. For example, the portal of entry for tuberculosis and diphtheria is through the respiratory tract, hepatitis B and Human Immunodeficiency Virus enter through the bloodstream or body

What is the site of entry for most infectious diseases?

For the first patient, the same group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus was isolated in drainage fluid and at the cutaneous injury site. The outcome was favourable in both cases following extensive intravenous antibiotic therapy (amoxicillin) combined with percutaneous drainage (in the first case). Discussion: Psoas abscess can occur after locoregional infection and the …

What are the portal of entry for infection?

A portal of entry is the site through which micro-organisms enter the susceptible host and cause disease/infection. Infectious agents enter the body through various portals, including the mucous membranes, the skin, the respiratory and the gastrointestinal tracts.

What is the portal of entry?

The portal of entry refers to the manner in which a pathogen enters a susceptible host. The portal of entry must provide access to tissues in which the pathogen can multiply or a toxin can act.

How the infectious agent enters the body?

Entering the Human Host Microorganisms capable of causing disease—pathogens—usually enter our bodies through the mouth, eyes, nose, or urogenital openings, or through wounds or bites that breach the skin barrier. Organisms can spread—or be transmitted—by several routes.

What is this portal?

1) Portal is a term, generally synonymous with gateway, for a World Wide Web site that is or proposes to be a major starting site for users when they get connected to the Web or that users tend to visit as an anchor site. There are general portals and specialized or niche portals.

What is the most common portal of entry?

Portals of entry. In order for a pathogen to gain access to the host, the pathogen must pass through a portal of entry. One of the most common portals of entry is the mucous membranes, especially those of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urogenital tracts. Another important portal of entry is the skin.

What are portals of exit from the body?

Portals of exit is the means by which a pathogen exits from a reservoir. For a human reservoir, the portal of exit can include blood, respiratory secretions, and anything exiting from the gastrointestinal or urinary tracts.

What is the main route to spread infection vectors?

The transmission of microorganisms can be divided into the following five main routes: direct contact, fomites, aerosol (airborne), oral (ingestion), and vectorborne. Some microorganisms can be transmitted by more than one route.

What is an example of a portal of exit?

A portal of exit is the site from where micro-organisms leave the host to enter another host and cause disease/infection. For example, a micro-organism may leave the reservoir through the nose or mouth when someone sneezes or coughs, or in faeces.

What is an infectious agent?

An infectious agent is any disease-causing organism and includes bacteria, viruses and fungi; complicating matters further is the organism’s pathogenicity and virulence. A reservoir is any animate or inanimate object or surface where an organism can live, grow and multiply.

What are the two modes of contact transmission?

Two modes of contact transmission exist: direct-contact transmission and indirect-contact transmission. Direct-contact transmission, as its name implies, consist of direct body surface to body surface contact and physical transfer of bacteria between a susceptible host and an infected or colonized individual.

What is a perfect storm?

All of these factors can create that “perfect storm” where healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) can brew, unless all healthcare workers understand and implement proper hygiene practices to help prevent the unintended transmission of bacteria and viruses .

What is the mode of transmission?

Modes of transmission are contact, airborne, ingestion or vectorborne. A portal of entry is the path by which an infectious agent enters the susceptible host and can include broken skin, eyes, nose, respiratory tract, urinary tract, etc. And finally, a host can be anyone, with some individuals being particularly susceptible – immunocompromised ...

Is droplet transmission airborne?

Droplet transmission is not to be confused with airborne transmission because droplets do not remain suspended in the air and special air handling and ventilation is not required. Airborne Transmission.

How long does it take for a virus to be in the blood?

Not directly transmitted from person to person. Unless treated, the infectious agent may be found in the blood during the first two weeks of disease and in lesions for a month, sometimes longer.

Is F. tularensis a bioterrorist?

F. tularensis has been classified as a "category A" agent (of greatest concern) for bioterrorism because of its very low infectious dose (10–50 organisms), its ability to survive in the environment, the fact that it can be easily disseminated by aerosol, and potential severe illness and death with untreated inhalational tularemia. One should suspect bioterrorist spread of tularemia if there is a cluster of unusual pneumonia cases (atypical patient profile, e.g., young; otherwise healthy individuals affected, severe illness; low response to standard antibiotic treatment) particularly in persons in a building with a common ventilation system. If there is any suspicion of potential bioterrorism, call the Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology immediately (24/7) at 1-877-539-4344 or 206-418-5500.

Is Francisella tularensis highly infectious?

It is a highly infectious organism and has caused infection in laboratory workers. Health care providers should alert laboratory personnel regarding specimens when tularemia is suspected. Suspect cultures should be immediately sent to a reference laboratory with BSL3 capabilities. Extreme caution should be used to avoid exposure within the laboratory by aerosol. Follow-up of workers is needed if laboratory exposures occur (see Section 5E). Confirmatory laboratory testing must be performed by a Laboratory Response Network (LRN) laboratory such as the Washington State Public Health Laboratories (PHL).

How are diseases transmitted?

Diseases can also be transmitted by a mechanical or biological vector, an animal (typically an arthropod) that carries the disease from one host to another. Mechanical transmission is facilitated by a mechanical vector, an animal that carries a pathogen from one host to another without being infected itself.

What is a nosocomial infection?

Infections acquired in health-care facilities, including hospitals, are called nosocomial infections or healthcare- associated infections (HAI). HAIs are often connected with surgery or other invasive procedures that provide the pathogen with access to the portal of infection.

What is an active carrier?

By contrast, an active carrier is an infected individual who can transmit the disease to others.

How do animals transmit disease?

In zoonotic diseases, animals act as reservoirs of human disease and transmit the infectious agent to humans through direct or indirect contact. In some cases, the disease also affects the animal, but in other cases the animal is asymptomatic. List some nonliving reservoirs for pathogens.

What is an asymptomatic carrier?

Active carriers who do not present signs or symptoms of disease despite infection are called asymptomatic carriers. Pathogens such as hepatitis B virus, herpes simplex virus, and HIV are frequently transmitted by asymptomatic carriers.

What is vehicle transmission?

The term vehicle transmission refers to the transmission of pathogens through vehicles such as water, food, and air. Water contamination through poor sanitation methods leads to waterborne transmission of disease. Waterborne disease remains a serious problem in many regions throughout the world.

What are biological vectors?

Biological insect vectors include mosquitoes, which transmit malaria and other diseases, and lice, which transmit typhus. Other arthropod vectors can include arachnids, primarily ticks, which transmit Lyme disease and other diseases, and mites, which transmit scrub typhus and rickettsial pox. Biological transmission, because it involves survival ...

Reservoir

• The reservoir of an infectious agent is the habitat in which the agent normally lives, grows, and multiplies. Reservoirs include humans, animals, and the environment. The reservoir may or may not be the source from which an agent is transferred to a host. For example, the reservoir of Clostridium botulinum is soil, but the source of most botulism infections is improperly canned fo…

See more on cdc.gov

Portal of Exit

Modes of Transmission

Portal of Entry

Host

Implications For Public Health