Slide 8: Chain of Infection

Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings—2003

Slide Text

Diagram of the "Chain of Infection" is described in the Speaker Notes below.

Speaker Notes

Infection through any of these routes requires that all of the following conditions be present:

• An adequate number of pathogens, or disease-causing organisms, to cause disease.
  
• A reservoir or source that allows the pathogen to survive and multiply (e.g., blood).
  
• A mode of transmission from the source to the host.
  
• An entrance through which the pathogen may enter the host.
  
• A susceptible host (i.e., one who is not immune).

The occurrence of all these events is considered the "chain" of infection. Effective infection control strategies prevent disease transmission by interrupting one or more links in the chain of infection.