| GLOSSARY |
| Asymptomatic
Infection: |
An
infection with a micro-organism where the person infected
does not suffer any resulting symptoms or disease. |
| Bacterium: |
A
microscopic organism with a rigid cell wall; often single
celled and multiplies by splitting in two. |
| Case: |
A
person in the population identified as having a
particular disease. |
| Codex
Alimentarius Commission: |
An
international organisation, created by the World Health
Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of
the United Nations, which sets standards for food. |
| DH: |
Department
of Health. |
| Epidemiology: |
The
study of factors affecting health and disease in
populations and the application of this study to the
control and prevention of disease. |
| Haemolytic
Uraemic Syndrome (HUS): |
A
clinical condition which may arise from a variety of
causes and which is characterised by anaemia and kidney
failure. |
| Haemorrhagic
Colitis (HC): |
Inflammation
and bleeding from the large bowel that may be caused by
infection. |
| Horizontal
Regulations |
Regulations
which apply to a wide range of premises (ie are not
'vertical' or product specific regulations). |
| Incidence: |
The
proportion of the population that contracts a disease
during a particular period of time. |
| Infectious
Dose: |
The
amount of infectious material (eg the number of bacteria)
necessary to produce an infection. |
| MAFF: |
Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. |
| Microflora: |
The
microbial population of an area (eg such as the
gastro-intestinal tract or the surface of meat). |
| Outbreak: |
Two
or more cases of disease linked to a common source. |
| Prevalence: |
The
proportion of a population having a specific disease at a
given point in time. |
| Phage
(Bacteriophage) Typing: |
A
method for distinguishing varieties of bacteria (phage
types) within a particular species. |
| SCIEH: |
Scottish
Centre for Infection and Environmental Health. |
| Serology: |
The
study of antigen-antibody reactions in vitro (ie
in laboratory apparatus rather than a living organism). |
| SOAEFD: |
Scottish
Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department. |
| SODoH: |
Scottish
Office Department of Health. |
| Strain: |
A
population of organisms within a species or sub-species
distinguished by sub-typing. |
| Thrombotic Micro-Angiopathy (TMA): |
TMA
describes the pathological process in the small blood
vessels which results in HUS and TTP. It is defined by
the following chemical and haematological surrogate
markers plus any clinical evidence of established TTP or
HUS: |
| |
| a.
evidence of red cell fragmentation on a blood film. |
| |
| b.
a lactate dehydrogenase level of greater than 1.5 times
the upper limit of the laboratories' normal value. |
| |
| c.
a platelet count lower than 150 times 109 |
| |
| Thrombotic
Thrombocytopaenia |
A
clinical condition characterised by fever with skin |
| Purpura
(TTP): |
and
central nervous involvement, anaemia and kidney failure. |
| Toxin: |
Any
poisonous substance produced by a micro-organism. |
| Typing: |
Any
method used to distinguish between closely related
micro-organisms. |
| Vertical
Regulations: |
Product
specific regulations which set out requirements for
dealing with the product throughout the production
process. |
| Virulent/Highly
Virulent: |
Causing
severe symptoms in a susceptible individual (ie the more
virulent the organism, the more severe the symptoms). |
