| OCH | oral contraceptive hormone |
|---|---|
| OCM | oral contraceptive medication |
| OCS | occipital condyle syndrome; Ondine's curse syndrome; open canalicular system; oral contraceptive ste... |
| OCT | object classification test; optimal cutting temperature; oral contraceptive therapy; ornithine carba... |
| OES | oral esophageal stethoscope; optical emission spectroscopy |
| natural focus of infection | An ecosystem in which an infectious agent normally persists in nature; e.g., yellow fever virus in a jungle monkey-Haemagogus mosquito ecosystem. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| subclinical infection | <epidemiology> An infection in which symptoms are sufficiently mild or inapparent to escape diagnosis other than by positive confirmation of the ability to transmit the infection or serologically. (05 Dec 1998) |
| nosocomial infection | <microbiology> Hospital acquired infection: commonest are due to Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. Coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens and Proteus mirabilis. (18 Nov 1997) |
| surgical wound infection | Infection occurring at the site of a surgical incision. (12 Dec 1998) |
| disseminated gonococcal infection | Infection from Neisseria gonorrhoea which is spread to distant parts of the body beyond the original portal of entry (usually the lower genital tract). Usually manifest by rash and arthritis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| droplet infection | Infection acquired through the inhalation of droplets or aerosols of saliva or sputum containing virus or other microorganisms expelled by another person during sneezing, coughing, laughing, or talking. (05 Mar 2000) |
| inapparent infection | Presence of infection in a host without the occurrence of recognizable symptoms or signs. (05 Mar 2000) |
| infection | 1. <microbiology> Invasion and multiplication of microorganisms in body tissues, which may be clinically unapparent or result in local cellular injury due to competitive metabolism, toxins, intracellular replication or antigen antibody response. The infection may remain localised, subclinical and temporary if the bodys defensive mechanisms are effective. A local infection may persist and spread by extension to become an acute, subacute or chronic clinical infection or disease state. A local infection may also become systemic when the microorganisms gain access to the lymphatic or vascular system. 2. An infectious disease. (18 Nov 1997) |
| infection calculus | A calculus associated with infection and/or obstruction, usually composed of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate). Synonym: infection calculus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| infection control | Programs of disease surveillance, generally within health care facilities, designed to investigate, prevent, and control the spread of infections and their causative microorganisms. (12 Dec 1998) |
| infection control, dental | Efforts to prevent and control the spread of infections within dental health facilities or those involving provision of dental care. (12 Dec 1998) |
| infection control nurse | A registered nurse with additional education in the monitoring and prevention of nosocomial infections in the client population in an agency. Synonym: infection control nurse. (05 Mar 2000) |
| infection control practitioners | Physicians or other qualified individuals responsible for implementing and overseeing the policies and procedures followed by a health care facility to reduce the risk of infection to patients and staff. (12 Dec 1998) |
| infection-exhaustion psychosis | A psychosis following an acute infection, shock, or chronic intoxication; begins as delirium followed by pronounced mental confusion with hallucinations and unsystematised delusions, and sometimes stupor. Synonym: febrile psychosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| infection immunity | The paradoxical immune status in which resistance to reinfection coincides with the persistence of the original infection. Synonym: concomitant immunity. (05 Mar 2000) |