Contact infections

How are contact transmitted infections created?

A person with an infection may have live particles of the microbe on the surface of their body. This can occur through eruptions of the skin, excretion of bodily fluids including sweat and blood or contact with these contaminations.

These microbes may then be transferred onto other objects or surfaces (fomites) through direct contact with the infected party. The microbes may survive in this state for some time until they die/are disinfected or transferred by contact to another object/person.

How are contact infections contracted?

Direct-contact transmission involves skin-to-skin contact and physical transfer of microorganisms to a susceptible host from an infected or colonized person

Indirect-contact transmission involves contact of a susceptible host with a contaminated intermediate object, usually inanimate, in the environment 1

How to avoid contact infections?

Use the following precautions, or the equivalent, for the care of all patients.

Patient Placement Place the patient in a private room. When a private room is not available, place the patient in a room with a patient(s) who has active infection with the same microorganism but with no other infection (cohorting). When a private room is not available and cohorting is not achievable, consider the epidemiology of the microorganism and the patient population when determining patient placement. Consultation with infection control professionals is advised before patient placement.

Gloves and Handwashing In addition to wearing gloves when touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, contaminated items, touching mucous membranes and nonintact skin, wear gloves (clean, nonsterile gloves are adequate) when entering the room. During the course of providing care for a patient, change gloves after having contact with infective material that may contain high concentrations of microorganisms (faecal material and wound drainage). Remove gloves before leaving the patient's room and wash hands immediately with an antimicrobial agent or a waterless antiseptic agent.(72,94) After glove removal and handwashing, ensure that hands do not touch potentially contaminated environmental surfaces or items in the patient's room to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other patients or environments.

Gown In addition to wearing a gown during procedures and patient-care activities that are likely to generate splashes or sprays of blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions, wear a gown (a clean, nonsterile gown is adequate) when entering the room if you anticipate that your clothing will have substantial contact with the patient, environmental surfaces, or items in the patient's room, or if the patient is incontinent or has diarrhoea, an ileostomy, a colostomy, or wound drainage not contained by a dressing. Remove the gown before leaving the patient's environment. After gown removal, ensure that clothing does not contact potentially contaminated environmental surfaces to avoid transfer of microorganisms to other patients or environments.

Patient Transport Limit the movement and transport of the patient from the room to essential purposes only. If the patient is transported out of the room, ensure that precautions are maintained to minimize the risk of transmission of microorganisms to other patients and contamination of environmental surfaces or equipment.

Patient-Care Equipment When possible, dedicate the use of noncritical patient-care equipment to a single patient (or cohort of patients infected or colonized with the pathogen requiring precautions) to avoid sharing between patients. If use of common equipment or items is unavoidable, then adequately clean and disinfect them before use for another patient.

Additional Precautions for Preventing the Spread of Vancomycin Resistance. 1

Which infections are contact infections?

A non exhaustive list of contact infections is listed here

Hepatitis A
Streptococcal infection ( Scarlet fever, Impetigo, Pharyngitis)
MRSA
Staphlococcus aureus
Avian Flu
Warts
Ringworm
Scabies
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Parainfluenza virus
Respiratory syncytial virus
Varicella (chickenpox)
Adenovirus
Herpes Zoster (disseminated or in the immunocompromised host ) 2

References and sources

  1. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/gl_isolation_contact.html
  2. http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/epii/sars/infosheets/infection_control.htm

 

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