Which term describes direct contact, indirect contact, or airborne routes?

Which term describes direct contact, indirect contact, or airborne routes?

• A. Means of Transmission
• B. Portal of Exit
• C. Portal of Entry
• D. Reservoir

Answer: (A)

Means of transmission describes how an infectious agent moves from one host or environment to another—direct contact, indirect contact, or airborne routes. These are the methods by which the pathogen travels to a new susceptible person or setting. In the sequence of infection, after the organism leaves its reservoir (exit), it must reach a new host through one of these transmission routes. The other terms describe different parts of the process: a portal of exit is how the agent leaves the source, a portal of entry is how it gets into the new host, and a reservoir is where the organism typically lives and multiplies. For example, direct contact means person-to-person touch, indirect contact involves touching contaminated objects, and airborne transmission involves dissemination of particles through the air. That broad category—means of transmission—is the best fit for all these routes.

Means of transmission describes how an infectious agent moves from one host or environment to another—direct contact, indirect contact, or airborne routes. These are the methods by which the pathogen travels to a new susceptible person or setting. In the sequence of infection, after the organism leaves its reservoir (exit), it must reach a new host through one of these transmission routes. The other terms describe different parts of the process: a portal of exit is how the agent leaves the source, a portal of entry is how it gets into the new host, and a reservoir is where the organism typically lives and multiplies. For example, direct contact means person-to-person touch, indirect contact involves touching contaminated objects, and airborne transmission involves dissemination of particles through the air. That broad category—means of transmission—is the best fit for all these routes.