A patient who changes his own skin lesion dressings tells the nurse that he developed a new skin lesion on another body part. The nurse realizes this patient is most likely describing which of the following modes of transmission?

Question

1. Indirect contact
2. Direct contact
3. Vehicle
4. Vector-borne

Answer 1

Indirect contact

Rationale: Indirect contact involves the susceptible person being exposed to the organism through a contaminated object such as a contaminated dressing. Direct contact occurs when there is actual person-to-person contact, as seen with a sexually transmitted disease. Vehicle transmission occurs when the organism's life is maintained on something outside the reservoir until it is passed to the susceptible host. The vehicle is a nonliving object. Vector-borne transmission occurs when a disease-producing organism is carried by a living host and transfers the organism to a susceptible host.