Nosocomial Infection

= Nosocomial Infection =

Cross contamination  known also as hospital acquired infections, hospitals associated infections and hospital infections occur when a patient comes into contact with a new pathogen it becomes contaminated  and subsequently develops an infection  from the pathogen following their admittance to the hospital. Cross contamination is followed by cross infection. Cross infection in a hospital is a nosocomial infection.

The hospital environment is heavily contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella and Escherichia coli. Cross contamination occurs when a patient comes in contact with the pathogen that has contaminated them then develops into an infection. In order for a pathogen to create an infection there has to be three very important factors, the number of microorganisms, type of specie and the hosts’ immunity response. “For a pathogen to cause an infection there has to be a significant number of microorganisms present to cause an infection. Most causative agents of nosocomial infections need a relatively large amount” (Hospital Hygiene, p. 149). Another important factor is the type of strain. There are three classifications of pathogens conventional, conditional and opportunistic pathogens. Conventional pathogens are microorganisms that cause disease in healthy individuals if there’s a breach in the line of defenses. Conditional pathogens are microorganisms that cause disease in individuals with a lower resistance to the infection. Opportunistic pathogens are microorganisms that cause infections in individuals with little to no immunity. If these pathogens are released into the hospital in large numbers that exceed the minimal dose, they can contaminate people, inanimate objects and cause a hospital acquired infection (Hospital Hygiene, 1992, p. 149).