Letter: c

Central Nervous System = brain + spinal column

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon Dioxide

One of three basic shapes of bacteria. Coccoid or coccus refers to spherical shape. Other bacterial shapes are bacillary-rod shaped, cuneiform (comma-like), spiral, or pleomorphic (multishapes – often forms of club-shaped).

The small bone at the end of the vertebral column in humans; tail bone. SEE also vertebra.

A group of patients that meet the defined criteria – for example, a group of patients with influenza.

Grouping of patients/staff together who have had exposure to the same infection or who have the same infection and segregating from those who have not.

Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

Excision of part or all of the colon (large intestine).

An acute or chronic inflammation of the large intestine (the colon). There are many forms of colitis, including ulcerative, Crohns, infectious, pseudomembranous, and spastic. When inflammation becomes severe, cells are destroyed in the intestinal wall forming ulcers as exposure to the toxin or inflammatory byproducts continues. The ulcers bleed, and become infected often producing produce pus. Ulcerative colitis rarely affects the small intestine except for the lower section.