Abstract
In healthy individuals there is an equilibrium between the host and the microorganisms in his environment, including those on the skin and mucous membranes. An infection occurs when the interaction between the host and these micro-organisms is disturbed (Fig. 1). This equilibrium can be disturbed because the host comes into contact with potentially pathogenic micro-organisms to which he has not yet been exposed and against which he does not yet have sufficient resistance, or because the number of potentially pathogenic microorganisms on the mucous membranes or in the air has increased, or because the host’s resistance has decreased. It must be kept in mind, however, that there is a difference between infection and contamination or colonization. An infection can be defined as a combination of reactions of the host to micro-organisms that have penetrated his body and multiply there. Here, the host plays an active role. Contamination or colonization concerns the presence of living micro-organisms on living tissue or dead material; thus, there is no reaction of the host to the (local) presence of micro-organisms.
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© 1981 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, The Hague
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Van Furth, R. (1981). Introduction. The Role of Host Defence in Respiratory Infections. In: Van Furth, R. (eds) Developments in Antibiotic Treatment of Respiratory Infections. New Perspectives in Clinical Microbiology, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8305-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8305-2_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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Online ISBN: 978-94-009-8305-2
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