What Is The Importance Of Mode Of Transmission Of Bacteria And Other Infectious Agents In Preventing Infectious Diseases?
An understanding of the mode of transmission of bacteria and other infectious agents is extremely important from a public health perspective, because interrupting the chain of transmission is an excellent way to prevent infectious diseases. The mode of transmission of many infectious diseases is “human-to-human” but infectious diseases are also transmitted from nonhuman sources such as soil, water, and animals. Fomites are inanimate objects, such as towels, that serve as a source of microorganisms that can cause infectious diseases. Although some infections are caused by members of the normal flora, most are acquired by transmission from external sources. Pathogens exit the infected patient most frequently from the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts; hence, transmission to the new host usually occurs via airborne respiratory droplets or fecal contamination of food and water. Organisms can also be transmitted by sexual contact, urine, skin contact, blood transfusion, contaminated n
