What is "infectious disease"

Infectious disease \In*fec"tious dis*ease"\

1. Any disease caused by the entrance, growth, and multiplication of microorganisms in the body; a germ disease. It may not be contagious.

2. Sometimes, as distinguished from contagious disease, such a disease communicated by germs carried in the air or water, and thus spread without contact with the patient, as measles.

n. a disease transmitted only by a specific kind of contact

Those involved in the care of athletes should be alert to the possibility of infectious disease for the following reasons:

• There is the chance, or even the expectation, of contact or collision with another player, or the playing surface, which may be a mat or artificial turf.
• The opportunities for skin breaks, obvious or subtle, are present and compromise skin defenses.
• Young people congregate in dormitories, locker rooms, showers, etc.
• There is the possibility of sharing personal toilet articles.
• Equipment, gloves and pads and protective gear, is difficult to sanitize and can become contaminated.

However, in many cases, the chance of infection can be reduced by relatively simple measures.

Infectious disease, also known as Infectious diseases, infectious medicine, infectious disease medicine or infectiology, is a medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis, control and treatment of infections. An infectious disease (ID) specialist's practice may consist largely of managing nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections, or it may be out-patient based, in which case it focuses more on community-acquired infections.