Tetanus Glossary of Terms

1. Take the MRSA Quiz!
2. Strep or Sore Throat Slideshow Pictures
3. Infectious Mononucleosis Slideshow Pictures

Abrasion: An abrasion or "excoriation" is a wearing away of the upper layer of s...

Acellular: Not made up of cells or divided into cells. Or lacking intact cells as, for ex...

Acquired: Not inherited, or present at birth (congenital), but developing after birth. For...

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Allergic reaction: The hypersensitive response of the immune system of an allergic indiv...

Allergy: A misguided reaction to foreign substances by the immune system, the body system ...

Anaerobic: Not requiring oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria, for example, do not require oxygen to...

Anaphylaxis: Allergic reaction. In severe cases, this can include potentially deadly anap...

Antigen: A substance that the immune system perceives as being foreign or dangerous. The b...

Antitoxin: An antibody capable of destroying microorganisms including viruses and bacteri...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Axon: A long fiber of a nerve cell (a neuron) that acts somewhat like a fiber-optic cable ...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Bacterial: Of or pertaining to bacteria, as in a bacterial lung infection.

Bacterium: The singular of bacteria.

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Booster shot: An additional dose of a vaccine needed periodically to 'boost' the immune sy...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Brainstem: The lowest part of the brain which merges with the spinal cord and provides the...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is ...

CDC: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US agency charged with tracking a...

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The US agency charged with tracking and invest...

Cephalic: Relating to the head or the head end of the body. Situated on, in, or near the h...

Chills: feelings of coldness accompanied by shivering. Chills may develop after exposure t...

Clostridium: A group of anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that thrive in the absence of oxygen)...

Coma: A state of deep, unarousable unconsciousness. A coma may occur as a result of head t...

Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

Contraindication: A condition which makes a particular treatment or procedure potentially ...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Diphtheria: An acute infectious upper respiratory tract disease that affects the throat. I...

Doxycycline: Brand name: Vibramycin. A synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic derived from te...

DPT: Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus vaccine. Today the more frequent abbreviation is DTP (fo...

DTaP: Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis vaccine.

DTP: Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis vaccine.

Ear: The hearing organ. There are three sections of the ear, according to the anatomy tex...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Facial muscle: One of the 43 muscles in the human face. The facial muscles convey basic hu...

Feces: The excrement discharged from the 'intestines.

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Frostbite: Damage to tissues from freezing due to the formation of ice crystals within cel...

Gastrointestinal: Adjective referring collectively to the stomach and small and large inte...

Glycine: An amino acid, one of the 20 building blocks of protein. A nonessential amino aci...

Gram-positive: Gram-positive bacteria retain the color of the crystal violet stain in the ...

Head injury: Damage to any of the structures of the head as a result of trauma. While the ...

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

Hygiene: The science of preventive medicine and the preservation of health. Also commonly ...

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune response: Any reaction by the immune system. For example, poison ivy can cause an i...

Immunity: The condition of being immune. Immunity can be innate'for example, humans are in...

Immunization: Vaccination. Immunizations work by stimulating the immune system, the natur...

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Jaw: The movable junction of the bones below the mouth (the mandible) and the bone just ab...

Joint: The area where two bones are attached for the purpose of permitting body parts to m...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Laceration: A cut.

Lockjaw: See Tetanus.

Lymph: The almost colorless fluid that travels through the lymphatic system, carrying cell...

Lymphatic: Pertaining to a small, thin channel that is similar to a blood vessel and that ...

Mechanical ventilation: Use of a machine called a ventilator or respirator to improve the ...

Metabolic: Relating to metabolism, the whole range of biochemical processes that occur wit...

Mortality: A fatal outcome or, in one word, death. The word "mortality" is derived from "m...

Motor: Something that produces or refers to motion. For example, a motor neuron is a nerve...

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Neonatal: Pertaining to the newborn period, specifically the first 4 weeks after birth.

Neonate: A newborn baby, specifically a baby in the first 4 weeks after birth. After a mon...

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Open wound: An injury that is exposed because of broken skin. An open wound is at high ris...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pathogenic: Capable of causing disease. For example, pathogenic E. coli are Eschericia col...

Pediatric: Pertaining to children.

Penicillin: The most famous of all antibiotics, named for the fungal mold Penicillium n...

Pertussis: Whooping cough, a communicable, potentially deadly illness characterized by fi...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Poison: Any substance that can cause severe organ damage or death if ingested, breathed in...

Polio: Abbreviation for poliomyelitis, an acute and sometimes devastating disease caused ...

PPD: 1. Postpartum depression. 2. Purified protein derivative (the PPD skin ...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Progressive: Increasing in scope or severity, advancing, or going forward. For example, a ...

Puncture wound: An injury that is caused by a pointed object that pierces or penetrates th...

Rehydration: The process of restoring lost water (dehydration) to the body tissues and flu...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Respiratory failure: Inability of the lungs to perform their basic task of gas exchange, t...

Scrape: An abrasion or cut caused by something rubbing roughly against the skin. To treat ...

Seizure: Uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, which may produce a physical conv...

Serum: The clear liquid that can be separated from clotted blood. Serum differs from plas...

Skeletal: Pertaining to the skeleton, the bones of the body that collectively provide the ...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Spasm: A brief, automatic jerking movement. A muscle spasm can be quite painful, with the ...

Spinal cord: The major column of nerve tissue that is connected to the brain and lies with...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Synapse: A specialized junction at which a neural cell (neuron) communicates with a target...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Tetanus: An often fatal infectious disease that is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tet...

Tired: A feeling of a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment,...

Tiredness: See: Tired.

Toxin: A poison produced by certain animals, plants, or bacteria.

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Trismus: Inability to open the mouth fully. This may be due to spasm of the jaw muscles an...

Tuberculosis: A highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium called Mycobacterium ...

Umbilical cord: The cord that connects the developing fetus with the placenta while the fe...

Vaccination: Injection of a killed microbe in order to stimulate the immune system against...

Vaccines: Microbial preparations of killed or modified microorganisms that can stimulate a...

Ventilation: The exchange of air between the lungs and the atmosphere so that oxygen can ...

Ventilator: A machine that mechanically assists a patient in the exchange of oxygen and ca...

Vibramycin: Brand name for doxycycline.

Whooping cough: Also known as pertussis, this is a feared infectious disease that can stri...