List of Infectious Diseases and Microorganisms
Diseases or Pathogens | Infectious agents and incubation period (IP) | Infection control precautions | Source of infection | Placement of patients and period of infectivity (PI) | Notifiable disease |
Actinomycosis | Actinomyces israelli is the usual human pathogen | Standard | The natural reservoir is the human mouth and gut. Therefore, the source of clinical disease is endogenous. | Single en-suite room: No Person-to-person spread: No | No |
Acinetobacter baumannii | IP: Not applicable | Contact | Found in the environment drinking water, soil and sewage Transmission from colonised environmental sources or the skin of colonised individuals. Transmission from contact with colonised environmental sources or the skin of colonised individuals. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: While colonised or infected. | No Alert organism: Yes |
Adenovirus* | Respiratory infection 2 to 14 days Upper(flu-like symptoms)/lower respiratory tract infection (bronchitis or pneumonia | Droplet | Faecal oral (including dirty nappy/diaper), infection via contaminated water, including a swimming pool. | Single en-suite room: Yes Fluid-resistant facemask for routine care and respirator (FFP3) for AGPs | No Alert organism: Yes |
Conjunctivitis Gastroenteritis: 3-10 days | Contact | ||||
Anthrax | Bacillus anthracis IP: 1–7 days (most cases occur within 48 h after exposure, although periods of up to 60 days are possible) | Contact | Pulmonary: From inhalation of B. anthracis spores Cutaneous: Inoculation from contaminated animal tissue and hides | Single en-suite room: Yes Patients with pulmonary disease may be more infectious. Person-to-person spread: rare. PI: duration of hospitalisation; until off antibiotics and cultures are negative | Yes |
Aspergillosis (pulmonary) | Aspergillus fumigatus or Aspergillus flavus IP: unknown, probably a few days to a few weeks | Standard | Ubiquitous within the environment. It is caused by inhalation of Aspergillus spp. spores, usually associated with building work, i.e. Construction and renovation. Infection occurs in patients with chronic lung disease and on high-dose steroids, and invasive infection can occur in immunosuppressed patients (transplants, etc.) | Single en-suite room: No Person-to-person spread: No | No Alert organism: Yes |
Bacillus anthracis ( see Anthrax)
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Bacillus cereus | IP: Emetic syndrome – average 2-3 hours (range 1-6) hours Diarrhoeal syndrome – 8-12 hours (range 6-24 hours) | Contact / Foodborne | Source of organisms from environmental sources Cause toxin-induced acute gastroenteritis. Transmitted by contaminated cooked foods, especially rice, pasta and vegetables, as well as raw milk and meat products | Single en-suite room: Yes, while symptomatic and 48 hours after cessation of symptoms. Person-to-person spread: No. | Yes, if associated with food poising |
Bordetella pertussis
| Bordetella pertussis IP: 4–21 days | Droplet | By contact with the discharges from respiratory mucous membranes of an infected person | Single en-suite room: Yes. PI: Pertussis is highly contagious. Individuals with pertussis are most infectious during the catarrhal period and the first 2 weeks after cough onset (i.e. approximately 21 days). Antibiotic therapy will shorten the period of infectivity. | Yes |
Brucellosis | Four Brucella species are known to cause human disease (B.abortus, B melitensis, B.canis, and B. suis). IP: uncertain. 1–2 months common; occasionally several months | Contact | Reservoirs are cattle, sheep, swine, or goats. By direct or indirect contact with tissues, blood, urine, vaginal discharges, aborted foetuses, and placentae of infected animals through breaks in the skin, or by ingestion of unpasteurised milk and dairy products of infected animals and airborne by inhalation of the organism in laboratories or slaughterhouses. | Single en-suite room: No, (unless there are draining lesions). Person-to-person spread: Rare. Infected mothers who are breastfeeding may transmit the infection to their infants. | If suspected of food poisoning Notifiable in animals to DAERA. |
Burkholderia cepacia complex | B.cepacia
| Contact | The bacterium is found in soil and water. It is a multi-drug resistant opportunistic pathogen in hospital environments. B. cepacia poses little risk to healthy people. However, it can cause infection in individuals with weakened immune systems or chronic lung diseases. B.cepacia is an important case of pulmonary infection in patients with cystic fibrosis. Transmission of B. cepacia from contaminated medicines and devices has been reported. | Single en-suite room: Yes Transmitted to susceptible people by direct/indirect contact with contaminated surfaces and exposure to B. cepacia in the environment. | No |
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) | IP: Not applicable | Contact | CPE are Enterobacterales that are highly resistant to antibiotics. Cause colonisation and device-associated infections, e.g. urinary tract, catheter-associated and bloodstream infections. It predominantly causes HAI in immunocompromised patients, and those with prolonged hospital stays are most at risk of developing an infection. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: While colonised or infected. | Notifiable: No Alert organism: Yes |
Campylobacter gastroenteritis | Campylobacter jejuni or coli IP: usually 2–5 days (1–10 days, depending on the dose ingested) | Standard | The source of infection is usually poultry, cattle, puppies, and kittens. Ingestion occurs when contaminated food, unpasteurised milk, undercooked poultry, and non-chlorinated water. Contact with infected puppies, kittens, and farm animals. | Single en-suite room: Yes Person-to-person spread: Rare | Yes, as food poisoning |
Candidiasis
| Candida spp. IP: variable 2–5 days for thrush in infants | Contact | Usually endogenous as Candida spp. are part of normal human flora. The outbreak has been reported in the hospital and occurred in augmented care units (e.g. intensive care, neonatal, transplant, burns, and rental units). | Single en-suite room: No | No |
Candida auris | IP: Not applicable | Contact | C.auris can cause ear, wound and bloodstream infections. In addition, it is multi-drug resistant, difficult to identify in the laboratory and highly transmissible n healthcare settings it is highly transmissible between patients and from contaminated environments. | Single en-suite room: Yes, especially in high-risk settings, e.g. ICU/PICU/ NICU, oncology/ haematology during colonisation or infections. PI: Duration of hospitalisation during infection or colonisation | Notifiable Disease: No Notifiable Alert organism: Yes Inform PHA |
Chickenpox
| Varicella-zoster virus IP: 7–21 days.
| Contact and Droplet | From person to person by direct contact and Droplet. The virus is spread by vesicle fluid or secretions of the respiratory tract of chickenpox cases or vesicle fluid of patients with herpes zoster (shingles) | Single en-suite room: Yes, preferably negative pressure room for routine care and AGPs. Susceptible persons should be considered infectious 10–21 days following exposure. Shingles: exclude if the rash is weeping and cannot be covered. PI: The patient is infectious, usually within 1–2 days before the onset of the rash and continues until all lesions are crusted or scabbed, usually 5-6 days after the rash appears. | Yes |
Cholera | Vibrio cholerae IP: few h to 5 days | Contact | Ingestion of food or water contaminated with faeces or vomit of infected persons. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Infectivity lasts until faecal samples are negative, usually a few days after clinical recovery or antibiotic treatment. In some cases, carrier states may persist for several months. | Yes |
Chlamydia infection | Chlamydia trachomatis IP: poorly defined, 7–14 days or longer | Contact | Humans are the only natural host for Chlamydia trachomatis. Untreated infection during pregnancy can cause eye and respiratory infections in the neonate during birthing | Single en-suite room: No | No |
Chlamydia pneumoniae IP: 3-4 weeks | Droplet | Humans are the only known reservoir of C. pneumoniae. | Single en-suite room: Yes, especially in high-risk settings, e.g. ICU/PICU/ NICU, oncology/ haematology. Fluid-resistant facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs. PI: During the incubation period and while symptomatic | No | |
Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhoea | C. difficile IP: 5–10 days | Contact | Infection is caused by the ingestion of spores from a contaminated environment. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Duration of diarrhoea | No. Under the PH Act, PHA should be informed |
Clostridium perfringens food poisoning | Clostridium perfringens IP: 6–12 h | Standard | Ingestion of food contaminated with soil or faeces and held under conditions which permit organism multiplication Is usually associated with inadequately heated or reheated dishes. | Single en-suite room: No Person-to-person spread: No | Yes, as food poisoning |
Clostridium tetani | Clostridium tetani IP: 3-21 days (range 1–several months) | Standard | Direct inoculation from contaminated soil with a puncture wound. | Single en-suite room: Yes No person-to-person transmission | Yes |
Coronavirus1 (Seasonal) including SARS-CoV-2 Covid-19 | SARS-CoV-2 IP: 3 and 6 days ( range: 1-14 days | Droplet and airborne | From asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic carriage to flu-like symptoms and severe pneumonia. | Single en-suite room: Yes Person-to-person transmission: Yes PI: 2 days before symptom onset to 10 days after. Fluid-resistant facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs. | Seasonal Coronavirus: No SARS-CoV-2: Yes |
Corynebacterium diphtheriae (see Diphtheria) |
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Creutzfeldt–Jacob Disease (CJD) (see Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) |
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Cryptococcus spp. | C. neoformans and C. gattii IP: Vary widely from days to months. C. gattii infection can appear between two and 13 months after breathing in the fungus | Standard | A fungus which is commonly found in soil, decaying wood, and bird droppings. Causes disease of lungs and the central nervous system in the immunocompromised host. | Single en-suite room: Yes Person-to-person transmission: Rare in healthy individuals PI: While colonised. | No |
Cryptosporidiosis | Cryptosporidium Parvum and C. hominis IP: 7–10 days (average of 7-28 days) | Standard Contact (faecal/oral) | Transmitted by the faecal-oral route by ingestion of oocysts. This includes person-to-person, animal-to-person, waterborne and foodborne routes.
| Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Oocysts, the infectious stage, appear in the stool at the onset of symptoms and continue to be excreted in the stool for several weeks after the symptoms resolve. Isolate patients until symptom-free for 48 hours. | Yes, as food poisoning |
Cytomegalovirus infection (CMV) | Cytomegalovirus IP: Within 3–8 weeks after transplant or transfusion with infected blood or exposure to infected secretions and excretions; infection acquired during birth is demonstrable within 3–12 weeks in a newborn after delivery | Contact | Exposure to mucosal contact with infectious tissues, secretions (urine, saliva, breast milk, cervical secretions, and semen), and excretions. The foetus may be infected in utero, or the virus may be transmitted to the infant during birthing. | Single en-suite room: No PI: the virus is excreted for months after primary infection and may persist or be episodic for years. Excretion recurs with immunodeficiency and immunosuppression | No |
Diphtheria
| Cutaneous: Corynebacterium diphtheriae or C ulcerans IP: 2–5 days or longer (range: 2–7 days) | Contact | Direct contact with a patient or carrier or contact with articles that have been contaminated with discharge from lesions of infected people | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: until off antibiotics and three swabs are culture-negative from skin lesions taken at least 24 h apart after antibiotic therapy | Yes |
Pharyngeal IP: 2 to 5 days (range of 1 to 10 days) | Droplet | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: until off antibiotics and three consecutive swabs from the nose and throat are culture negative Fluid-resistant facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs if pharyngeal | Yes | ||
Ebola and Marburg | Marburg virus IP: 3–9 days Ebola: 2–21 days f | Contact and Droplet | Source of infection by direct contact with infected blood, secretions, tissue, organs, or semen. | Single en-suite room: Yes. (Negative pressure room if available) but the spread is mainly via contact with secretions. PI: Duration of illness. | Yes. This is a high-consequence infectious disease. |
Enterovirus D68
| Enterovirus D68 (> 100 enteroviruses) IP: 3 to 5 days | Droplet | Cause mild to severe respiratory illness. It is also associated with aseptic meningitis, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: While symptomatic (has been reported up to 21 days) Fluid-resistant facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs. | No |
Escherichia coli O157 or other STEC | Shiga toxigenic E.coli (STEC), previously known as verotoxigenic or VTEC) IP: 3 to 4 days (Range 1 to 14 days). | Foodborne / Contact | Foodborne or transmission via faecal/oral route E. coli O157 is found in the gut and faeces of many animals, especially cattle. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Whilst symptomatic and 48 hours after cessation of symptoms. Symptoms can last up to 14 days. | Yes |
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) | IP: Not applicable | Contact | The genes coding for ESBL production can be spread between bacterial species and frequently carry genes that encode resistance to other antibiotic classes. ESBL-producing bacteria are most commonly found in E.coli and Klebsiella spp. causing urinary tract infections, pneumonia and bloodstream infections. Risks for colonisation/infection are common in people with previous exposure to antibiotics, long durations of hospitalisation, and elderly and immunocompromised individuals. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: While colonised or infected. | No Alert organism list: Yes |
Gastrointestinal infections
| Gastroenteritis | Contact | Caused by various organisms | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Duration of symptoms. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask if vomiting is present. | Some gastrointestinal infections are notifiable. Refer to individual infectious agents. Notifiable if associated with food poisoning and notifiable in under 2 year olds |
German measles (See Rubella)
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Giardia lamblia
| Giardia lamblia IP: 1 to 3 weeks | Contact (faecal/oral) | A parasite that colonises the small intestine, causing giardiasis. Ingestion of cysts can survive for months in cold water. Infection is caused by drinking contaminated water from streams, ponds and artificial l lakes. Zoonotic transmission can occur from contact with infected animals or ingesting infected uncooked foods, including meat products. Gastrointestinal symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and vomiting, or infection can be asymptomatic. | Single en-suite room: No Whilst symptomatic and 48 hours after cessation of symptoms. PI: As long as cysts persist in faeces for months, whether or not symptomatic. | Yes, as food poisoning |
German measles (See Rubella) | |||||
Glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (GRE) – see Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) | |||||
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) | Group A (Strep. pyogenes) Scarlet fever: 2-5 days (can be 1 – 7 days) Streptococcal throat: 2-5 days | Droplet | It can colonise the throat, skin and anogenital tract. Infection can occur via the respiratory route and direct contact with infected lesions. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: 24 hours after the therapeutic dose of antibiotic therapy commenced. | Scarlet Fever: Yes |
Impetigo: From the colonisation of the skin to the development of the lesions is about 10 days | Contact | PI: Until lesions are crusted or healed or 48 hours after commencing appropriate antibiotics. | No | ||
Invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS) An infection where the bacteria are isolated from a normally sterile body site, e.g. blood culture. | Droplet (+ contact if wound/necrotising fasciitis) | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: | No – but PHA should be informed promptly to facilitate follow-up of community contacts. | ||
HEPATITIS | |||||
Hepatitis A virus
| Hepatitis A virus IP: 25–30 days 28 to 30 days (range to 50 days) | Foodborne / Contact | Cause Hepatitis and gastroenteritis Hepatitis A is transmitted through contact with contaminated food, water, contaminated surfaces or objects and via faecal–oral. | Single en-suite room: Yes Person-to-person transmission: Yes PI: 1 to 2 weeks before the onset of symptoms) and up to 7 ( few) days after the onset of jaundice. It is most contagious before jaundice and is infectious in the early febrile phase of the illness. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask if vomiting is present. | Yes |
Hepatitis B virus
| IP: HBV: 75 days average) Range: 30 to 180 days | Contact / Vertical transmission from mother to babies | Sexually transmitted or by blood inoculation, e.g. needle stick accident or shared needles in IV drug misuse | Single en-suite room: No, unless there is bleeding or risk of bleeding. PI: During active infection or if chronically infected. Blood and high-risk body fluids so long as viraemia persists | Yes |
Hepatitis C virus
| IP: HCV: 2 to 26 weeks | Contact | HCV can be transmitted through exposure to infected blood or high-risk body fluids. | Single en-suite room: No, unless there is bleeding or risk of bleeding. PI: one or more weeks before the onset of symptoms and during the acute clinical stage. People with chronic infection – should be considered potentially infectious, although the risk is minimal in the non-viraemic (PCR-negative) individual. | Yes |
Hepatitis E virus
| Hepatitis E virus IP: 40 days (Range: 15 to 60 days) | Contact (faecal/oral) | HEV), which can infect both animals and humans. Faecal–oral or foodborne via drinking water contaminated with faeces from infected individuals or animals. Severe, life-threatening Hepatitis may occur in ~1% of cases. However, severe morbidity and mortality rates are highest in pregnant women. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: The specific period is unknown. Virus excretion in stool has been demonstrated from 1 week before to 30 days after the onset of jaundice. Chronically infected persons shed the virus as long as they remain infected. | Yes, as Hepatitis unspecified: viral |
Herpes zoster
| Shingles Varicella-zoster
| Contact | Reactivation can occur many years after the initial infection when the immune system is weakened. | Single en-suite room: Yes If lesions cannot be covered | Notifiable disease: No Notifiable organism: Yes |
Disseminated zoster or Chickenpox
| Airborne | Single en-suite room: Yes, preferably negative pressure room Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs. | Notifiable disease Chickenpox Yes. Notifiable organism: Yes | ||
Acute infectious Hepatitis of unknown aetiology | Acute Hepatitis | Droplet | Aetiology is unknown | Single en-suite room: Yes, if symptomatic Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs | Yes |
Human immune deficiency virus | Human immune deficiency virus (HIV). IP: Seroconversion normally occurs 2 to 4 weeks post-exposure | Standard | Human blood and ‘high-risk’ body fluids. Person-to-person transmission by sexual contact, inoculation injuries, infected blood or blood products, and vertical transmission from mother to baby | Single en-suite room: No, unless bleeding or risk of bleeding PI: Lifelong | No |
Haemophilus influenzae (invasive infection) | Haemophilus influenzae IP: Unknown | Droplet | Causes epiglottitis, pneumonia, bloodstream infections and meningitis. Vulnerable groups are children under 5 years of age, elderly and immunocompromised individuals. | Single-en-suite room: Yes PI: Until 24 hours after initiation of effective therapy. Carriers are infectious as long as organisms are present in the nasopharynx. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs until the patient has been established on appropriate antimicrobial treatment. | No |
Influenza (Endemic strain) Parainfluenza virus | Influenza virus IP: 1–3 days Parainfluenza virus IP: 2-4 days Fluid resistant | Droplet | Spread by direct exposure to the mucous membranes through droplets or indirect contact with infectious respiratory secretions | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Duration of symptoms. Infectious one day before symptoms develop to 3 to 5 days after symptoms appear. Medical face mask for routine and respirator FFF3 for AGPs | No |
Legionnaire’s disease (Legionellosis) | Legionella pneumophilia IP: 5–6 days (Range: 2-10 days) Pontiac Fever: 1 to 2 days ( Range 0 to 3 days) | Standard | Inhalation of infected aerosol can cause a potentially fatal form of pneumonia. Pontiac fever causes an acute, self-limiting influenza-like disease that does not cause pneumonia. | Single en-suite room: No No person-to-person spread | Yes |
Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease) | Leptospira interrogans (various serovars) IP: 10 days (range: 4–19 days) | Standard | By the contact of the skin and mucous membranes with water, moist soil or vegetation is contaminated with infected animals’ urine. By inhalation of droplet aerosols and or ingestion of food which has been contaminated with the urine of infected rats | Single en-suite room: No No person-to-person spread | Yes |
Listeriosis | Listeria monocytogenes IP: 3 days–10 weeks (average 3 weeks) | Contact | By ingestion of unpasteurised infected dairy products, contaminated food Neonatal infections can be transmitted to the foetus in utero or at the time of delivery | Single en-suite room: No Person-to-person spread is rare | Yes (as food poisoning) |
Lyme disease | Borrelia burgdorferi IP: 7–10 days (range 3 to 30 days) | Standard | Infection from a Tick bite. Zoonotic disease and not transmitted by human | Single en-suite room: No No person-to-person spread | No |
Malaria | IP: Plasmodium falciparum 7–14 days P. vivax 8–14 days P. ovale 8–14 days P. malariae 7–30 days | Standard | Mosquito bite and blood transfusion | Single en-suite room: No No person-to-person spread | Yes |
Methicillin-Resistant Staph.aureus (MRSA) – see Staphylococcus aureus |
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MENINGITIS | |||||
Meningococcal meningitis or Septicaemia | IP: 3 to 4 days (range 2 to 10 days)
| Droplet | By contact with the respiratory secretions of the infected patient | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Contagious 7 days before the onset of symptoms and rendered non-infectious 24 hours after initiating effective antimicrobial therapy. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs until the patient has been established on appropriate antimicrobial treatment. | Yes |
Haemophilus meningitis (epiglottitis and other infections) | H. influenzae type b IP: 2–4 days | Droplet | Transmitted by droplets and discharges from the nose and throat during the illness and carriage | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: After 48 hours of effective antibiotic therapy. Close contacts should be given chemoprophylaxis. | Yes, as acute meningitis: bacterial |
Pneumococcal meningitis | Streptococcus pneumoniae (Pneumococcal) IP: 3-7 days (Range: 2-10 days) | Droplet | Transmitted by droplets from respiratory tract | Single en-suite room: Yes Pneumococcal meningitis is not considered to be contagious | Yes, as acute meningitis: bacterial |
Viral meningitis | Viral IP: 3-6 days but variable on the type of virus | Droplet | Person-to-person by inhalation | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Duration of illness | Yes, as acute meningitis: viral |
Measles virus | Measles virus IP: 8–12 days (range 7- 18 days) | Droplet /airborne | Individuals get infected after contact with the respiratory secretions from the nose and throat of an infected person. Symptoms include fever, conjunctivitis, cough, runny nose and sneezing, followed by small grey/white spots, called Koplik’s spots, on the inside of the mouth. | Single en-suite room: Yes, negative pressure room. PI: 5 days before to 4 days after the rash, the appearance of the rash. In immuno-compromised patients, precautions should be maintained for the duration of the illness. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs. | Yes |
Mpox (Monkeypox) | Monkeypox is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. IP: 6-13 days) (Range 5-21 days) | Contact and Droplet (? Airborne) | Close contact with an infected person or animal or with material contaminated with the virus. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Until all of your rash lesions have resolved, the scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has formed. This usually takes about 2-4 weeks. | Yes |
Mumps Virus
| Mumps virus IP: 16–18 days (range 12–25 days)
| Droplet | Spread by droplets via direct contact with the saliva of an infected person. Symptoms include painful swelling of the parotid glands (Parotitis), which may precede fever, malaise, etc. Asymptomatic infection is common, particularly in children. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: 7 days before to 9 days after the onset of parotid swelling. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs | Yes |
Mycoplasma | Mycoplasma pneumoniae IP: 6–23 days (1 to 4 weeks) | Droplet | Cause of atypical pneumonia. Usually causes mild acute respiratory illness but can cause severe pneumonia in a patient with a history of asthma and immunocompromised individuals. Spread by direct contact with respiratory secretions of an infected person. Indirect contact by inoculation of mucous membranes | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: While symptomatic Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs | No |
Norovirus (Also known as Winter vomiting disease) | Norovirus IP: 12 to 48 hours | Contact | Cause of non-bloody watery diarrhoea and/or vomiting. Outbreaks are common in semi-enclosed areas such as hospitals. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Individuals are symptomatic for a further 48 hours after the cessation of symptoms. Prolonged shedding of the virus can occur in persons who are immunocompromised and young children. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask if vomiting is present. | No |
Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) (See Staph.aureus | |||||
Parvovirus B19 (Also known as Erythema infectiosum
| Erythrovirus B19 IP: 4-14 days
| Droplet and contact | Common childhood disease with respiratory symptoms and rash with erythematous cheeks. It is also called ‘slapped cheek syndrome’ or ‘fifth disease.’ Direct or indirect contact with respiratory secretions. | Single en-suite room while symptomatic and until the rash+/- arthralgia has developed PI: 7 to 10 days before the rash (if any) develops until one day after the rash appears. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs (Not required if the rash+/- arthralgia has developed) | No |
Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis jirovecii (formerly known as P. Carinii) IP: 3 to 12 weeks | Droplet / Airborne | Opportunistic infection affects the respiratory system in immunocompromised individuals. | Single en-suite room: Yes in high-risk settings, e.g. ICU/PICU/NICU and oncology/haematology units. Infectious until resolution of symptoms or discharge from hospital. PI: Considered infectious while symptomatic/ colonised. | No |
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa IP; Not applicable | Droplet | The source is usually contaminated water. Cause pneumonia, bacteraemia, wound or surgical site infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, conjunctivitis in neonates | Single en-suite room: Yes in high-risk settings, e.g. ICU/PICU/NICU and oncology/haematology units. | No |
Rabies | Rabies virus IP: Usually 2–8 weeks, but it is highly variable from a few days to a few years, depending on the inoculum’s size and distance from the victim’s central nervous system. | Contact | From the bite of infected animals. In some cases, a scratch or, rarely, through a break in the skin or intact mucous membranes. | Single en-suite room: Yes Person-to-person transmission: Rare. | Yes |
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) | Respiratory syncytial virus IP: 2 to 8 days | Contact and Droplet | Cause of causes mild, cold-like symptoms to bronchiolitis or pneumonia in babies. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Usually 3 to 8 days. However, infants and people with weakened immune systems can continue to spread the virus for as long as 4 weeks after they stop showing symptoms. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs | No |
Rotavirus | Rotavirus IP: 24 to 72 hours | Contact | Causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea in young children. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Infectious from 2 days before symptom onset to 10 days after symptoms resolve. Prolonged shedding of the virus can occur in persons who are immunocompromised. | No |
Rubella (German measles) | Rubella virus IP: 14–21 days (range: 14–32 days) | Droplet | Transmitted by droplet or by direct contact with the nasopharyngeal secretions of infected people. Vertical transmission from mother to foetus | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Individuals are infectious 7 days before up to 7 days after the appearance of the rash Infants with congenital rubella syndrome may shed the virus in the nasopharyngeal secretions and the urine for several months. Fluid-resistant surgical facemask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs. | Yes |
Shigellosis (Bacillary dysentery) | Shigella spp. IP: 1–3 days (Range 12 to 96 hours. Up to 1 week for Sh.dysenteriae | Contact/Foodborne | Faecal–oral by direct or indirect contact with a symptomatic person or a short-term asymptomatic carrier. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Duration of diarrhoea and as long as organisms are excreted in the stool (average of 2- 4 weeks, but prolonged carriage of several months has been reported). | Yes, as food poisoning |
Salmonella (non-typhoidal) | Salmonella spp. IP: 12–36 h (range: 6–72 h) | Contact/Food bore | Cause of Gastroenteritis. Faecal–oral by ingestion of contaminated food. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: 4 to 7 days (while symptomatic). However, asymptomatic /chronic carriers and children may shed the organism much longer. | Yes, as food poisoning |
Salmonella (Typhoid and paratyphoid) | Salmonella typhi and paratyphii IP: 3 days–20 days Range 3-56 days Paratyphoid 1–10 days. (Range: 3–60 days) | Contact | Faecal-oral. Ingestion of contaminated Food and water by faeces and urine of patients and carriers | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: Extremely variable. People are infectious for the duration of the excretion of bacteria. | Yes, as typhoid fever and food poisoning |
Scabies | Sarcoptes scabei IP: 2–8 weeks before itching in people who have not had previous exposure and 1–4 days in people who have had the previous infestation | Contact | By direct contact with infested skin and indirectly by contact with undergarments and bedclothes if these have been contaminated by infested people immediately beforehand | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: During incubation and infestation. Until completion of appropriate treatment. Persons with Norwegian or crusted scabies are highly contagious. | No |
Shingles (See Varicella Virus) | |||||
Staphylococcus aureus | |||||
Meticillin-Resistant Staph.aureus (MRSA) | IP: Not applicable | Contact | S. aureus colonises human skin and mucous membranes. It usually causes no harm, and individuals may remain asymptomatic. However, it may lead to skin infections, e.g., infected eczema and abscesses. In addition, it can cause serious infections, e.g. osteomyelitis, joint infections, endocarditis, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, urinary tract infections and bacteraemia. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: While colonised or infected. FFP3 for AGPs only if pneumonia | Notifiable Disease: No Alert organism: Yes |
Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) positive Staph.aureus | IP: Not applicable | Contact | PVL is a cytotoxin produced by some strains of S. aureus. It can cause a variety of skin and soft tissue infections. In addition, it can cause invasive infections, e.g. necrotising/haemorrhagic pneumonia, necrotising fasciitis, septic arthritis, and bacteraemia. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: While colonised or infected. If pneumonia only, use a Fluid-resistant surgical face mask for routine care and FFP3 for AGPs | Yes. PHA should be informed promptly to facilitate follow-up of community contacts. |
Staph.aureus (Enterotoxigenic) | Contact | Gastroenteritis. | Single en-suite room is not required if lesions can be covered | No | |
Tetanus (see Clostridium tetani ) | Yes | ||||
Toxoplasmosis | Toxoplasma gondii IP: 7 days | Standard | Cats and other felines are the reservoirs. Infection is caused by ingesting viable ova in cat faeces or cysts in undercooked meat. | Single en-suite room: No No person-to-person transmission | No |
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) | Prions IP: Iatrogenic CJD varies widely and ranges from 1 to 2 years for transmission by contaminated neurosurgical instruments to over 30 years for transmission via human-derived pituitary hormones. | It can cause idiopathic TSEs (e.g. sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [CJD]), familial TSEs and acquired TSEs (e.g. iatrogenic CJD) | Single en-suite room: No Person-to-person spread: No | No PHA should be informed | |
Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex) | Pulmonary or laryngeal Tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis IP: 2–10 weeks Immunocompromised patients may have a shorter incubation period | Airborne | TB affects the lungs but can cause infection in glands, bones and the nervous system. | Single en-suite room: Yes (Negative pressure room, if available). FFP3 for routine care and AGPs until the patient has been established on appropriate antimicrobial treatment for at least 2 weeks. Drug-resistant TB: Assess risk for multi-drug resistant TB, and if risk factors present, then a negative pressure room is required until open TB is ruled out with three AFB-negative sputa. | Yes |
Extrapulmonary | Contact | No exclusion Isolation of the patient is not necessary. FFP3 for AGPs | Yes | ||
Typhoid and paratyphoid (see salmonellosis) | |||||
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) Also referred as Glycopeptide-resistant Enterococci (GRE) | IP: Not applicable | Contact | Enterococci are present in the human intestine and are organisms of low pathogenicity. Colonisation occurs more frequently than infection, which may cause bacteraemia, urinary tract infections, and wound and surgical site infections. | Single en-suite room: Yes PI: While colonised or infected. | No |
Whooping cough (see Bordetella pertussis.) | |||||
Yersinia pestis (Pneumonic plague) | Yersinia pestis IP: 1-8 days | Droplet and contact | The bacterium is found in wild rodents, and humans get infected after being bitten by an infected rodent or by handling an animal infected with the plague. The disease occurs in three main forms: pneumonic, septicemic, and bubonic. Human-to-human transmission occurs only with pneumonic plague when respiratory droplets are coughed or sneezed by an infected person in close contact. | Single en-suite room: Yes Pneumonic plague is highly infectious. PI: Until 48 hours after initiation of effective antibiotic therapy (for pneumonic plague) | Yes |
Zika virus | IP: 3–14 after mosquito bites | Standard | Aedes mosquitoes are the main vector. Transmitted during pregnancy (from mother to foetus) and also sexually. | Single en-suite room: No Not transmitted from person to person | No |