Biosafety Terms in Hospital Practice
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ScribdTranslationsBiosafety Terms in Hospital Practice
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ScribdTranslationsHOSPITAL PRACTICE AND BIOSAFETY ODT
UAJMS - Faculty of Dentistry
DR. JOSÉ COLQUE MORALES
THEME 2 BIOSECURITY
GLOSSARY OF BIOSAFETY TERMS
SOURCE: Regulation for the application of the Bolivian biosafety standard in healthcare facilities. Bolivian Standard NB
63002: 'biosecurity - Vocabulary'. 2012
Aerosols. Systems of very fine solid or liquid particles dispersed in a gas, smoke, mist, and/or air.
Antibacterial agent. An agent that inactivates or prevents the multiplication of bacteria.
Antifungal Agent. Agent that inactivates or prevents the multiplication of fungi.
Antimicrobial Agent. An agent responsible for the elimination or inhibition of growth of
microorganisms.
Antiviral Agent. An agent that inactivates or prevents viral replication.
Biological Agents. Any microorganism including genetically modified ones.
Infectious Biological Agents. Any microorganism (virus, bacteria, fungi, or parasites) capable of
cause infections or allergies, toxicity, disease or death of humans, animals, and plants,
inclusion of genetically modified organisms.
Infectious Agent. Microorganism (bacteria, virus, fungus, protozoan) capable of causing an infection
in a susceptible host.
Antisepsis. Use of a chemical agent (antiseptic) on the skin or other tissues to prevent infection.
inhibiting the growth of microorganisms.
Antiseptic. A chemical agent responsible for controlling or inhibiting the proliferation of microorganisms.
Contaminated areas. Zone where there is a potential biological or radioactive agent.
Uncontaminated area. Zone where there is no exposure to biological, chemical, or radioactive agents.
Asepsis. Free from germs or microorganisms.
Bacteria. Unicellular microorganism that is classified in the prokaryotic kingdom.
Bacteremia. Indicates the transient presence of bacteria in the blood without general signs during the course of a
localized infection.
Bacteriostatic. Stopping the development of bacteria and the agent that has this action.
Biological safety cabinet (BSC) or laminar flow hood. Forced air circulation chambers that
according to their specifications and design, they provide different types of protection. Enclosure that uses a
fan to force air passage through a high-efficiency filter.
Infection Chain. It represents a set of factors that are related to an infection process.
such as: etiological agent, susceptible host, portal of entry.
Exhaust gas hood. Also called "gas hood" it is a ventilated enclosure that captures
the fumes and vapors arising from the handling of chemical products.
Contamination. Presence of infectious agent on organic surfaces, equipment, instruments.
material, walls, rooms, floors, etc.
Damage. Consequence produced by an event that affects the quality of individual or collective life.
people.
Decontamination. Use of physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate or destroy pathogenic agents.
existing on surfaces or articles
Disinfection. Removal of pathogenic germs and other types of microorganisms by means of
physical or chemical agents.
Disinfectant. A chemical agent used on inanimate objects (for example, floors, walls, or
sinks to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms.
Personal protective equipment. Any equipment intended to be worn or held by the worker and
that provides protection against one or more risks that may threaten your safety or health.
Ergonomics. The science that studies the relationships between humans and the work they do. It aims to adapt the
work conditions to the physiological and psychological characteristics of the worker.
Sterilization. Destruction of all forms of living material including bacteria, viruses, spores and
mushrooms.
Etiology. A part of medicine that aims to study the causes of diseases.
Risk factors. All elements, substances, procedures, and human actions present in the
work environment that somehow puts the worker at risk while having the ability to produce
injury.
HEPA filter. High-efficiency air filter for articulated materials.
Fomites, Fomes. Any non-food substance or object that retains and transmits microorganisms.
infectious.
Germicide. Agent that destroys microorganisms, especially pathogens.
Drops. Particles that can contain infectious microorganisms
Hand hygiene. The term used for hand washing.
Fungus. Prokaryotic or eukaryotic microorganism, unicellular or multicellular, classified in the plant kingdom.
Implant. Device surgically placed in the body or oral cavity.
Infection. Act of acquiring a contagious disease.
Immunization. The process by which a person is immune, or protected against a disease.
Antimicrobial soap. Detergent that contains an antiseptic agent.
Cleaning. Physical process to remove foreign or residual material from a surface.
Pathogenicity. The ability of the microorganism to cause disease.
Danger. A situation where damage or individual or collective deterioration is possible.
Biological hazard. Biological agent that is potentially dangerous to humans, animals.
plants and/or environment.
Radionucleotide. Unstable nucleus of an atom that emits ionizing radiation, produced naturally or
synthetically.
Hazardous Waste. Biological waste, flammable, combustible, irritant, corrosive, toxic and/or
reactive, harmful to living beings and/or to the environment.
Resistance. Host's ability to neutralize a pathogenic germ
Risk. Probability of a danger manifesting and causing harm
Biological Risks. Risk associated with potentially pathogenic agents that can cause harm.
Physical Risks. Risks associated with physical aggression (radiation, noise, vibrations, temperatures
extremes or others.)
Occupational risk. Injury or illness that occurs during work performance.
Chemical Risks. Risks related to chemical products
Aseptic Technique. It is a set of measures aimed at the elimination or control of microorganisms.
Toxigenicity. The ability of a microorganism to produce toxins capable of contributing to the development of
an illness.
Virus. Any of the smallest infectious agents (20 nm to 300 nm) that are characterized by
replicate only in living cells and be absolute parasites incapable