Certified Medical Assistant Practice Exam

The term that means "all of the factors required for infectious disease to spread" is the Chain of Infection. The Chain of Infection consists of six components: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. These factors must all be present and interconnected for an infectious disease to spread from one individual to another.

Pathogenicity refers to the ability of an infectious agent to cause disease in a susceptible host. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems. Immunity refers to the state of being protected against a particular disease or condition, usually through vaccination or prior illness.