What is NOT included in the chain of infection?

The chain of infection describes the processes by which infectious diseases spread. It consists of several interconnected elements: the infectious agent (source), the reservoir (where the pathogen resides), the portal of exit (how the pathogen leaves the source), the mode of transmission (how it spreads to a new host), the portal of entry (how it enters the new host), and the susceptible host (a person who can contract the infection).

Contaminated gloves, while a potential point of transferring infections, do not directly belong to the established components of the chain of infection. They can be considered an intermediate factor that could facilitate the transmission, but they do not represent a distinct link in the chain itself.

In contrast, the source represents where the pathogen originates, the susceptible host is necessary for the pathogen to infect someone, and poor isolation techniques can affect the mode of transmission by failing to prevent spread. Therefore, contaminated gloves are not a foundational element of the chain of infection but rather an item that may contribute to breaking or facilitating that chain.