Question

Considering the chain of infection, a reservoir might be
1. A tick carrying Lyme disease
2. Staphylococcus bacteria
3. A contaminated water supply
4. An uninfected patient
5.

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : A contaminated water supply

Concept:-

• The reservoir can be a person, an animal, any object in the normal environment, food, or contaminated water.
• Reservoir or source of infection where microorganisms can live and thrive.
• Infectious diseases result from the interaction of agent, host, and environment. This sequence is sometimes called the chain of infection.

The reservoir may or may not be the source from which the agent is transferred to the host. For example:

1. The Soil is the reservoir of Clostridium botulinum, but the source of most botulism infections is improperly packaged food that contains C. botulinum spores.
2. Many common infectious diseases have human reservoirs. Diseases that are transmitted from person to person without intermediaries include sexually transmitted diseases, measles, mumps, streptococcal infections, and many respiratory pathogens.
3. Environmental reservoir. Plants, soil, and water in the environment are also reservoirs for some infectious agents.

 Chain of infection is made up of six distinct links-

1. ​Infectious agent (pathogen)- These are pathogens that cause communicable diseases. These are usually bacteria, viruses, fungi, or Parasites.
2. Reservoir (the normal location of the pathogen)
3. Portal of exit from the reservoir- It refers to the route by which infectious microorganisms survive or leave the reservoir.
4. Mode of transmission- Since microorganisms cannot travel on their own, a mode is needed to transport them to other persons and places.
5. Portal of entry into a host- Mode of entry refers to the method by which germs enter the person.
6. Susceptible host- Microorganism can spread to another person but does not can develop into an infection if the person's immune system can fight it.