A student nurse asks if an infectious disease is the same thing ...

[KimWrice]

A student nurse asks if an infectious disease is the same thing as a communicable disease. The nurse explains that an infectious disease is not necessarily a communicable disease.
 
  Which must a communicable disease have that an infectious disease does not have to have? (Select all that apply.)
  A) Pathogenic microorganism
  B) Portal of exit from the infected person
  C) Means of transmission
  D) Portal of entry to a susceptible host
  E) Organism that harbors the infectious agent

Question 2

The nurse works with a female client who recently developed an infection of Staphylococcus aureus while in the hospital. In this case, S. aureus is which component in the chain of infection?
 
  A) Host
  B) Environmental reservoir
  C) Agent
  D) Portal

[tandmlomax84]

Answer to Question 1

Ans: B, C, D
Feedback:
An infectious disease in a human host is one caused by the growth of pathogenic microorganisms in the body. For a disease to be communicable, or contagious, there must be a portal of exit from the infected person (or animal), a means of transmission, and a portal of entry to a susceptible host. Thus, an infectious disease need not be contagious, or communicable.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: C
Feedback:
The agent, or the microbe that causes the disease, is the what of the epidemiologic triangle. The host, or the organism that is harboring the infectious agent, is the who of the triangle. The environment, which includes those external factors that cause or allow disease transmission, is the where of the triangle. Other necessary elements include a portal of exit from the host, environmental reservoirs, transmission, and a portal of entry to a new host.