Which term describes the chain including infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host?

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Multiple Choice

Which term describes the chain including infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host?

Explanation:
The concept describes the sequence that must be present for an infection to spread: the infectious agent, a reservoir where it lives, a portal of exit, a means of transmission, a portal of entry, and a susceptible host. Each link in this chain is necessary; if you disrupt or block any one link—such as by cleaning and disinfecting to remove the reservoir, or by practicing good hand hygiene to interrupt transmission—the spread of infection can be stopped. The other options don’t fit this description: hand hygiene and PPE are protective practices used to break the chain, and Clostridium difficile is an example of a pathogen rather than the whole sequence.

The concept describes the sequence that must be present for an infection to spread: the infectious agent, a reservoir where it lives, a portal of exit, a means of transmission, a portal of entry, and a susceptible host. Each link in this chain is necessary; if you disrupt or block any one link—such as by cleaning and disinfecting to remove the reservoir, or by practicing good hand hygiene to interrupt transmission—the spread of infection can be stopped. The other options don’t fit this description: hand hygiene and PPE are protective practices used to break the chain, and Clostridium difficile is an example of a pathogen rather than the whole sequence.

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