Conditions That Need Additional Precautions
| Clinical Syndrome or Condition | Potential Pathogens | Empirical Precautions |
|---|
| Diarrhea |
- Acute diarrhea with a likely infectious cause in a client who is incontinent or is in diapers
| Enteric pathogens | Contact |
- Diarrhea in an adult with a history of recent antibiotic use
| Clostridium difficile | Contact |
| Meningitis |
| Rash or exanthems, generalized, etiology unknown |
- Petechial/ecchymotic with fever
| Neisseria meningitidis | Droplet |
| Varicella | Airborne and Contact |
- Maculopapular with coryza and fever
| Rubeola (measles) | Airborne |
| Respiratory Infections |
- Cough/fever/upper lobe pulmonary infiltrate in a client who is HIV negative or a client at low risk for HIV infection
| - Mycobacterium tuberculosis
| Airborne |
- Cough/fever/pulmonary infiltrate in any lung location in a client who is HIV infected or a client at high risk for HIV infection
| - Mycobacterium tuberculosis
| Airborne |
- Paroxysmal or severe persistent cough during periods of pertussis activity
| | Droplet |
- Respiratory infections, particularly bronchiolitis and croup, in infants and young children
| - Respiratory syncytial or parainfluenza virus
| Contact |
| Risk of Multidrug-Resistant Microorganisms |
- History of infection or colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms
| Resistant bacteria | Contact |
- Skin, wound, or urinary tract infection in a client with a recent hospital or nursing home stay in a facility where multidrug-resistant organisms are prevalent
| Resistant bacteria | Contact |
| Skin or Wound Infection |
- Abscess or draining wound that cannot be covered
| Staphylococcus aureus, group A streptococcus | Contact |
Adapted from CDC Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, from www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/ISOLAT/isopart2.htm.