1. Boland, M. (Director), Santall, J. (Presenter), & Vi

1. Boland, M. (Director), Santall, J. (Presenter), & Video Education Australasia.
(2011). Infection control in healthcare [Videorecording]. Retrieved
from https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity
%7Cvideo_work%7C2320021
Boustcha, E., & Nicolle, L. E. (1995). Conjunctivitis in a long-term care facility.
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 16(4), 210-216. Retrieved
from https://www.cambridge.org
Bullock, S., & Manias, E. (2017). Fundamentals of pharmacology (8th ed.).
Melbourne, Australia: Pearson Australia. This book is in Reserve in all campus
libraries where nursing and midwifery are taught
Burchum, J. R., & Rosenthal, L. (2019). Lehne’s pharmacology for nursing care (10th
ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Saunders. This book is in Reserve in at
Campelltown and Liverpool campus libraries. There are many requests for the
other copies.
OR: Lehne, R. A., Moore, L., Crosby, L., & Hamilton, D. (2016). Pharmacology for
nursing care (9th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier. We do not hold the
9thedition but the 8th edition is available online.
OR: Lehne, R. A.
(2013). Pharmacology for nursing care (8th ed.). Retrieved from https://www-
elsevier-elibrary-com
Craft, J., & Gordon, C. (2019). Understanding pathophysiology (3rd Australian and
New Zealand ed.). Retrieved from https://www.clinicalkey.com.au
Lee, G., & Bishop, P. (2016). Microbiology and infection control for health
professionals (6th ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Pearson Australia. This book is
in Reserve in all campus libraries where nursing and midwifery are taught
Marieb, E.N., & Hoehn, K. (2019). Human anatomy & physiology (11th global ed.).
Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited. This book is in Reserve in all
campus libraries where nursing and midwifery are taught
Norris, T. L. (2019). Porth’s pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states (10th
ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer. This book is in Reserve in at
Campelltown and Parramatta South campus libraries. There are many requests
for the other copies.
OR: Grossman, S. C., & Porth, C. M. (2014). Porth’s pathophysiology: Concepts of
altered health states (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer
Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This book is in Reserve in at Campelltown
and Parramatta South campus libraries
OR: Porth, C. M., & Matfin, G. (2014).
Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states (9th ed.). Philadelphia,
PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
OR: Porth, C. M., & Matfin, G.
(2009). Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states (8th ed.).
Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This book is not on Reserve but
is available at all campus libraries where nursing and midwifery are taught
2. Aim of assessment
The aim of this assessment is to increase students’ understanding of how
microorganisms can cause health breakdown, and the role of relevant pharmacological
interventions in the recovery processes. Students will explore various modes of
transmission, relevant characteristics of pathogens and the importance of breaking the
chain of infection. This assessment facilitates the development of the following skills:
critical appraisal of the nurse’s role in infection control, literature searching, and
academic writing and referencing.
Instructions:

You must use the supplied template (to be accessed from the Assessment tab in the
Unit’s vUWS site), to answer
the
questions that follow the case study below:
Case Study:
John (88 years old) is a resident at a high dependency aged care facility (nursing home).
He has developed infectious conjunctivitis in his right eye. On examination, his eye was
found to be red and swollen with a purulent and sticky discharge. His vision was
unaffected; however he did complain that his eye was painful. The doctor prescribed
gentamicin eye drops which were to be administered to both eyes.
Use the supplied template to answer the following questions:
Q1. Background of the case study (Total: 5 marks)
1.1 What is infectious conjunctivitis?
1.2 Of the four micro-organisms listed below, justify which one is more likely to be the
cause of John’s eye infection. Indicate why the other micro-organisms from the list are
less likely to cause the infection.
 ·
Legionella pneumophila
 ·
Plasmodium ovale
 · Adenovirus
 ·
Staphylococcus aureus
Q2. Mechanism of action and adverse reactions (Total: 5 marks)
2.1 Describe the mechanism of action of gentamicin
2.2 Name two possible
adverse reactions to this drug
Q3. Physiological basis of signs (Total: 10 marks).
3.1-3.3 Describe the physiological basis of the three (3) signs observed in John’s
eye. Relate your response to this case study.
Q4. Infection control issues (Total 5 marks)
4.1-4.2 Identify and discuss two infection control issues associated with high
dependency aged care facilities that can contribute to the spread of conjunctivitis.
Q5. Transmission of infection (Total: 5 marks)
5.1 Mary who resides in the room next door was diagnosed with the same eye
infection 4 days later. Describe how the organism could have been transmitted
from John’s eye to Mary’s eye (describe the chain of infection that could have
occurred from John’s eye to Mary’s eye).
Q6. Breaking the chain of infection (Total: 5 marks)
6.1 Describe two procedures nurses will need to undertake to prevent the
infection from John’s eye being transmitted to another individual. Clearly explain
how each procedure will effectively break the chain of infection.
Q7. Presentation: 5 marks. See template

https://vuws.westernsydney.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-256052-dt-announcement-rid-
32274802_1/xid-32274802_1
1. Background of the case study (Total: 5 marks)
1.1 What is infectious conjunctivitis?
Infectious conjunctivitis is a kind of eye infection which causes the inflammation of the
lining of the eyelid, also known as the conjunctiva, due to infection by bacteria or virus.
The symptoms include increased sensitivity, irritation, redness, fluidic discharge as well as
tearing up of the eye. It can spread easily by contact.
1.2 Of the four micro-organisms listed below, justify which one is more likely to be the cause
of John’s eye infection. Indicate why the other micro-organisms from the list are least likely
to cause the infection.Legionella pneumophila
Yes or no, with reason:
Legionella pneumophila, gram-negative bacteria, which is less likely to cause infectious
conjunctivitis. This bacterium is a primary pneumonia causing bacteria, known to colonise
in water, and can cause conjunctivitis if the eye is exposed to the infected water. The
symptoms of this infection are similar to infectious conjunctivitis.
Gentamicin can be used to cure infections caused by gram negative bacteria; however
Legionella pneumophila is less likely to cause John’s infection, unless he was exposed to
contaminated water.
Plasmodium ovale
Yes or no, with reason:
Plasmodium ovale is a malarial parasite, which does not cause
conjunctivitis. It is less likely to cause any eye disease, however, in
rare cases it is known to cause malarial retinopathy. Thus, it is the least
likely to cause John’s infectious conjunctivitis.
Adenovirus
Yes or no, with reason:

Adenovirus (adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis) can lead to viral
conjunctivitis of the eye. This is very contagious and can display similar
symptoms like the one’s mentioned to be faced by the case subject,
John. This conjunctivitis fails to form any purulent and sticky eye
discharge.
The medicine prescribed to John, Gentamicin is usually prescribed
against bacterial infections rather than viral ones. Thus adenovirus is
less likely to cause the conjunctivitis observed in case of John.
Staphylococcus aureus
Yes or no, with reason:
Staphylococcus aureus is known to cause infectious conjunctivitis,
portraying symptoms like swelling and redness of the eye, purulent and
sticky eye discharge, like the one’s observed in John. The cell wall
consists of a carbohydrate layer, which facilitates the inflammation
process which eventually causes tissue damage. The bacteria causing
the infection, is observed to release proteins like leukocidins, alpha and
beta toxins, which in turn initiate the conjunctivitis (Department of
Health. 2017).The most characteristic feature of this conjunctivitis is the
consistency of the eye discharge. This gram positive bacterium is
known to cause mild infections leading to almost no vision loss
(Watson, Cabrera-Aguas & Khoo, 2018).
The antibiotic prescribed to John, Gentamicin is widely used against
gram-negative bacterial infections and on only Staphylococcus out of
other gram-positive bacteria.
Thus, it is highly possible that John suffered from a
Staphylococcus
aureus eye infection.