Which option is NOT a bloodborne pathogen listed for dialysis units?

Which option is NOT a bloodborne pathogen listed for dialysis units?

• A. HIV
• B. HBV
• C. MRSA
• D. HCV

Answer: (C)

Bloodborne pathogens are infections transmitted through infected blood, and in dialysis settings the main ones on the exposure-control list are HIV, HBV, and HCV because these viruses spread primarily via blood or blood-containing fluids. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that typically spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact or contaminated surfaces and wounds, not through blood exposure in the same way. While MRSA can cause serious infections if it enters the bloodstream, it isn’t categorized as a bloodborne pathogen in the standard dialysis infection-control framework. So MRSA isn’t considered among the bloodborne pathogens listed for dialysis units, even though proper precautions against it are still important through good hand hygiene and appropriate contact precautions.

Bloodborne pathogens are infections transmitted through infected blood, and in dialysis settings the main ones on the exposure-control list are HIV, HBV, and HCV because these viruses spread primarily via blood or blood-containing fluids. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that typically spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact or contaminated surfaces and wounds, not through blood exposure in the same way. While MRSA can cause serious infections if it enters the bloodstream, it isn’t categorized as a bloodborne pathogen in the standard dialysis infection-control framework. So MRSA isn’t considered among the bloodborne pathogens listed for dialysis units, even though proper precautions against it are still important through good hand hygiene and appropriate contact precautions.