Which term describes transmission through contact with an intermediate contaminated object?

Which term describes transmission through contact with an intermediate contaminated object?

• A. Indirect transmission
• B. Direct transmission
• C. Airborne transmission
• D. Vector transmission

Answer: (A)

The concept here is how infection spreads when a person touches an object that carries germs and then touches themselves or another person. This is indirect transmission, which happens through fomites—inanimate objects or surfaces like door handles, medical instruments, towels, or work tops that have become contaminated. The germs are transferred from the object to a new host, rather than moving directly from one person to another. Direct transmission, by contrast, is immediate contact between people (such as kissing or touching). Airborne transmission involves pathogens traveling through the air in droplets or aerosols, and vector transmission uses a living carrier like a mosquito. So the term for transmission via an intermediate contaminated object is indirect transmission.

The concept here is how infection spreads when a person touches an object that carries germs and then touches themselves or another person. This is indirect transmission, which happens through fomites—inanimate objects or surfaces like door handles, medical instruments, towels, or work tops that have become contaminated. The germs are transferred from the object to a new host, rather than moving directly from one person to another. Direct transmission, by contrast, is immediate contact between people (such as kissing or touching). Airborne transmission involves pathogens traveling through the air in droplets or aerosols, and vector transmission uses a living carrier like a mosquito. So the term for transmission via an intermediate contaminated object is indirect transmission.