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Blood Borne Infections

Different modes of infection transmission exist, including sexual, airborne, and blood borne. Blood borne infections occur when contaminated blood infects a susceptible person. They can be caused by viruses such as hepatitis B, bacteria of any kind, and parasites like Plasmodium species. In order to avoid getting infected, blood borne precautions such as wearing gloves and goggles are used by those who work with blood.

  1. Infection Transmission

    • Infections are classified by the mode of transmission. For example, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are transmitted by sexual contact. Other modes of transmission include: airborne, droplet, food borne, waterborne, and blood borne. Blood borne infection occurs when a susceptible person is exposed to the contaminated blood of an infected person. If the susceptible person's blood becomes mixed with the infected blood and an infection occurs, this is known as a blood borne infection. Viruses, bacteria, and parasites all can be transmitted by blood.

    Viral Infections

    • Viruses that are present in the blood stream at any time during the infection can be classified as blood borne. The most common of these in the United States include Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. The more serious and almost 100% deadly Ebola virus is also blood borne, but it a very rare virus seen only in Africa since its discovery. These viruses do not survive for long outside of the bloodstream since, by definition, viruses need cells to reproduce. Depending on the virus, once they are dry for an amount of time or exposed to ultraviolet light, they are no longer infectious.

    Bacterial Infections

    • Unlike viruses, bacteria do not need a host to survive. They only require nutrition of some sort to grow and reproduce. As a result, bacteria can be found everywhere in the environment. Also unlike viruses, bacteria can self-propel, moving from one place to another albeit very slowly. When bacteria infect a person, they are capable of migrating into the bloodstream, a condition known as bacteremia or sepsis. While the immune system is very efficient at removing bacteria from the blood, some bacteria may evade the immune system or invade a person with a weakened immune system. Exposure to the blood of an infected person, by accident or through a blood transfusion, may transmit the bacteria to a new person.

    Parasitic Infections

    • Another group of organisms capable of passing from one person to another through blood are parasites. The most common of these are the Plasmodium species of parasites, the causative agents of malaria. The classical mode of transmission for malaria is by a mosquito bite. As a result, malaria is also classified as a vector-borne infection. However, cases of malaria have been documented as acquired through blood transfusions and from mother to child during delivery.

    Blood Borne Precautions

    • Because a person with a blood borne infection may not exhibit the disease for a time after being infected, people who work with blood or blood products must practice a set of precautions known as blood borne precautions. This includes using gloves, gowns or lab coats, goggles or splash-proof glasses, and proper disposal of sharp objects (such as needles and surgical instruments). These precautions are practiced with all blood from all patients, regardless of any testing previously done on the patient's blood.

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