Describe bloodborne infectious diseases and microbemiaSoluti

Describe bloodborne infectious diseases and microbemia

Solution

Blood borne disease can be described as the one that spreads through contamination by blood and other body fluids. Example includes HIV, hepatitis B and viral hemorrhagic fevers. These disease are usually carried by blood borne pathogens or BBPs. BBPs are micro-organism like bacteria and viruses that carried by blood and other body fluids and causes diseases in living beings. There are different ways in which a blood borne pathogen can be expose to human, includes: needles sticks, high risk sexual behavior , intravenous use of drug also in some cases through human bites (the possibility with human bites is very less ). The exposure of the pathogens are broadly divided into two categories:

(a) Direct : when a pathogen is transferred directly from an infected individual to a healthy person through open lesions on the skin or mucous membrane.

(b) Indirect : it occurs when inanimate objects like contaminated sharp objects or needles act as temporary reservoir for infectious agents .

Pathogens can enter the body through routes like ,inhalation, contact with body fluids, ingestion, oral and by an intermediate carrier like ticks.

The term microbemia is used for the presence of microbe in blood. The most likely agent for a given case of microbemia depends upon the characteristic of host (ex: age granulocyte count, associated condition etc.) and epidemiologic conditions (ex: community vs. hospital acquired, travel etc.).

Microbes generally enter the circulatory system through lymphatic from the area of localized infection or from infected mucous membranes or skin.

Microbemia can be symptomatic , transient, continuous or asymptomatic. Those due to small number of relatively non pathogenic organism are asymptomatic whereas more pathogenic organism may produce symptoms like fever, chills, rigor, sweating, fatigue etc.