This document defines and describes various medical terms related to microbiology, infections, diseases, and related topics. It provides definitions for terms like abrasion, abscess, acute, aerobic, anaerobic, and more. The definitions cover a wide range of topics including types of infections, symptoms, medical procedures, modes of transmission, sterilization processes, and more.

2. • Abrasion : is a wound caused by superficial damage to the skin, no deeper than the epidermis.
• Abscess : Collection of pus enclosed by damaged or inflamed tissue.
• Acute : any process that is having rapid & sudden onset, severe symptoms & brief duration.
• Aerobic: microorganisms that live in presence of oxygen.
• Anaerobic : microorganisma that live in absence of oxygen
• Anorexia: loss of appetite
• Antibiotic: substance produced or derived from microorganisms that inhibit growth of other
microorganism
• Antibody : is a type of protein produced by the immune system in response to foreign substances
( such as chemicals, virus, bacteria) called antigen than may pose threat to the body
• Antigen: an antigen is any substance that stimulates our immune system to produce antibodies
against it, an antigen may be a foreign substance from the environment such as chemicals,
bacteria, virus or pollen

3. • Antiseptic: chemical agent that inhibit the growth of microorganism
• Antitoxin : an antibody produced by body against particular antigen
• Anuria: impaired production / no production of urine
• Ascites : Accumulation of serous fluid in peritoneal cavity
• Asepsis: A condition in which living pathogens are absent, a state of sterility
• Asymptomatic: without any symptoms
• Atrophy: is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body due to mutation, poor nourishment,
poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, loss of nerve supply to the target organ, disuse or lack of exercise
• Autolysis: destruction of cells/tissue by action of body’s own enzyme
• Autopsy: dissection & examination of body after death to know the cause of death or presence of disease
• Bacteraemia: presence of bacteria in blood stream
• Bactericidal : any agent that kills the bacteria
• Bacteriostatic: any agent that inhibit the growth & multiplication of bacteria

4. • Bacteriuria: presence of bacteria in urine
• Biopsy: small piece of living tissue removed from an organ or part of body to determine any abnormality or dysfunction or disease
• Blanching: a temporary whitening of the skin due to transient ischemia
• Blister: a small swelling in the skin filled with serum
• Bloating : abnormal feeling of fullness, tightness or distension in abdomen
• Bradycardia: slowing of heart rate to less than 60 beats/minute
• calculus : a stone or a hard mass formed within the body specially in gall bladder or anywhere in urinary tract
• calcification : deposition of calcium salts in tissue, a normal process in bone formation
• cellulitis : an acute inflammation of the connective tissue of the skin caused by infection with staphylococcus, streptococcus or
other bacteria
• carcinoma: a malignant tumor that arises from epithelial cells, which line the internal & external surfaces of the body
• chemotherapy: treating any infection/disease by chemicals called chemotherapeutic agents.
• Congenital: presence/present since birth
• Cross infection: infection transmitted between clients infected with different pathogenic micro organism.

5. • Cutaneous : related to skin
• Cyanosis: a bluish discoloration of skin & mucous membrane due to inadequate amount of oxygen in blood & is
associated with heart/lung disease
• Cytotoxic: an agent which is toxic to cells
• Dermatitis: an inflammatory condition of skin
• Diaphoresis : excessive sweating
• Disinfection: the process of destructing or killing microorganism by physically or by chemical agents called
disinfectants.
• Droplet infection : infection due to inhalation of respiratory pathogens suspended on liquid particles exhaled by an
person that is already infected
• Dysphagia: difficulty in swallowing
• Dyspnoea: difficulty in breathing
• Dysuria: difficulty in urination
• Edema: is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or one or more cavities of the body

6. • Embolism : a condition in which an embolus (such as blood clot, fat, air, foreign
body) becomes lodged in artery & obstruct its blood flow
• Empyema : (pyothorax) – pus in pleural cavity
• Endemic : a disease that is always present in a particular locality/population
• Epidemic : a sudden outbreak of infectious disease spreading rapidly through
population affecting large proportion of people
• Endocarditis: an inflammation of endocardium of heart
• Endogenous : derived from body or arising within body
• Enteritis: an inflammation of the small intestine caused by a bacterial or viral
infection. The inflammation frequently also involves the stomach ( gastritis) &
large intestine ( colitis)
• Epistaxis: (haemoptysis or nose bleed) – an acute haemorrhage from the nostril,
nasal cavity or nasopharynx
• Erythema: redness or flushing of skin due to dilation of blood capillaries
• Exudate : a fluid often formed from elements of blood, discharged from tissue to
a surface cavity
• Fomites : contaminated objects ( towel, utensils, syringes etc.) that can transmit
disease from client to normal individual

7. • Fumigation : The process applying smoke or fumes in order to disinfect
• Gangrene : is the death of tissue in part of the body & happens when a
body part looses its blood supply due to injury, infection or other causes
• Gingiva: gums
• Gingivitis:
• Hematuria: passage of blood in urine
• Hemolysis: the destruction of red blood cells
• Hemorrhage: escape of blood from ruptured blood vessels externally or
internally
• Hemoptysis: is the expectoration ( coughing up) of blood or of blood
stained sputum from larynx trachea, bronchi, lungs
• Hepatocytes: liver cells
• Hepatomegally: liver enlargement

8. • Hydrophobia: hear of water, an alternative name of Rabies
• Hyperplasia: enlargement of an organ or tissue because of an
increase in the number of cells in that organ or tissue
• Hypertrophy: increase in size of tissue or organ due to enlargement of
cells but not due to their multiplication
• Hypervolemia: an increase in volume of circulating blood
• Hypovolemia: decrease in volume of circulating blood
• Hypotension: decrease in blood pressure
• Immunity: resistance of an organism to infection or disease
• Immunization: process by which a person is made immune or
resistant to infectious diseases by administration of a vaccine
• Infection: invasion & multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms
which may produce subsequent tissue injury & progress to disease

9. • Invitro: in laboratory apparatus
• In vivo: in living animal or human being
• Lacrimation: excessive secretion of tears
• Lethargy: mental & physical sluggishness
• Malaena: abnormal dark or black stool that has a distinctive odor &
contains digested blood. It usually results from bleeding in the upper
GI tract & is often a sign of peptic ulcer or small bowel disease
• Morbidity: disease
• Mortality: incidence of death
• Nausea: feeling of vomiting
• Necrosis: death of cells
• Neuralgia: pain in nerves
• Numbness: partial or total lack of sensation in a part of the body, a
symptom of nerve damage or dysfunction

10. • Oliguria : low urine output
• Polyuria: excessive secretion of urine
• Pallor: reduced amount of oxyhemoglobin in skin or mucous
membrane, a pale color which can be caused by illness, emotional
shock, lack of exposure to sunlight, anemia etc.
• Palsy: paralysis
• Petechia: a small round dark red spot caused by escape/leakage of
blood capillaries
• Phlebitis: an inflammation of vein
• Photophobia: fear of light
• Pruritus: itching
• Purulent: containing or consisting of pus
• Pustule: a blister on skin containing pus
• Pyrexia: fever; a rise in body temperature above normal

11. • Quarantine : the perirod for which a person is kept in isolation to prevent
the spread of contagious disease
• Rash : is the change of the skin which affects its color, appearance &
texture. A rash may be located in one part of the body, or affect all the skin.
Skin sometimes become warm, bumpy, dry, cracked or blistered, swell &
may be painful
• Rigor: shivering or trembling, as caused by a chill
• Sanitization : is the cleaning of pathogenic microorganisms from objects
• Seizure : an attack, the sudden onset of convulsion
• Sepsis: also known as systemic inflammatory response syndrome is a
serious medical condition caused by the body’s response to an infection.
Sepsis can lead to wide spread inflammation & blood clotting.
Inflammation may result in redness, heat, swelling, pain & organ
dysfunction or failure
• Septicemia: is the presence of bacteria in the blood (bacteremia)& often
associated with severe infections

12. • Sterilization : a process that eliminates or kills all forms of life,
including transmissible agents ( such as fungi, bacteria, virus, spores
etc.)present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication etc.
• Tachycardia: rapid heart/pulse beat or rate
• Toxin : a poisonous substance produced by living organisms specially
bacteria
• Trauma: a physical wound or injury
• Vaccine: is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a
particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that
resembles a disease-causing microorganism, & is often made from
weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins
• Vector: an organism, specially an insect that carries a disease
producing microorganism from one host to another, either within or
on the surface of its body

13. • Viremia: presence of virus particle in blood stream
• Virucidal: any agent that kills viruses
• Virulence: disease producing ability of an organism
• Zoonosis : also called zoonotic disease refers to diseases that can be
passed from animals, whether wild or domesticated, to humans