Type of Isolation Needed

Master table of pathogens, with types of isolation required: PDF

Need specific isolation information for a given infection or pathogen?

Click here for easy access to the VUMC isolation policies and guidelines or search for the infection/pathogen using the alphabet links below:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Commonly-Searched Organisms/Infections:

C. auris

C. difficile

COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)

CRE (Carbepenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae)

Influenza (Seasonal)

Meningococcal meningitis (confirmed or suspected)

MRSA (Only if wound without ability to cover or admitted to 10T3, 11N, OTU, NICU, PCICU, PHO, PCARD)

MRSE (Coagulase-Negative Staphylococcus)

Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter

Pertussis

RSV

Scabies/Lice

Tuberculosis (Pulmonary)

Varicella (Chickenpox/Disseminated Zoster/Single Dermatome Zoster in Immunocompromised Patient)

VRE (Only if wound without ability to cover or admitted to 10T3, 11N, OTU, NICU, PCICU, PHO, PCARD)

A

Abscess:

Acinetobacter baumannii, multidrug-resistant

Acquired human immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Acute Respiratory Illness in Children (During Winter Respiratory Virus Season)

Amebiasis

Anthrax: [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Antibiotic-associated colitis (see Clostridioides difficile)

Aspergillosis

Avian influenza (see Influenza, avian)

B

Blastomycosis

Botulism

Bronchiolitis (see Respiratory infections in infants and young children)

C

Campylobacter gastroenteritis (see Gastroenteritis)

Candidiasis, all forms including mucocutaneous EXCEPT C. auris

Candida auris

Cat-scratch fever (benign inoculation lymphoreticulosis)

Chickenpox (see Herpes Zoster)

Cholera (see Gastroenteritis)

Clostridioides difficile

Coccidioidomycosis

Conjunctivitis:

Acute bacterial

Coronavirus

Coxsackie virus disease (see Enteroviral infections)

CRE (Carbepenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) -- See MDRO

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, CJD, vCJD [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Croup (see Respiratory infections in infants and young children)

Cryptococcosis

Cryptosporidiosis (see Gastroenteritis)

Cytomegalovirus infection, neonatal or immunosuppressed

D

Diarrhea, acute-infective etiology suspected (see Gastroenteritis)

E

Ebola virus [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Echovirus (see Enteroviral infections)

Encephalitis or encephalomyelitis (see specific etiologic agents)

Enterococcus species (see Multidrug-resistant organisms if epidemiologically significant or vancomycin resistant)

Enterocolitis, C. difficile (see C. difficile, Gastroenteritis)

Enteroviral infections

Epiglottitis, due to Haemophilus influenzae type b

Epstein-Barr virus infection, including infectious mononucleosis

Erythema infectiosum (also see Parvovirus B19)

F

Francisella tularensis

Furunculosis, staphylococcal:

G

Gastroenteritis:

Giardiasis (see Gastroenteritis)

Gonorrhea

H

Haemophilus influenzae type b, known or suspected

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (see Enteroviral infections)

Hepatitis, viral:

Herpes simplex (HSV):

Herpes zoster (VZV, varicella-zoster, shingles):

Histoplasmosis

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Human metapneumovirus

I

Impetigo

Infectious mononucleosis

Influenza:

K

Kawasaki syndrome

L

Legionnaires disease/Legionella

Lice:

Listeriosis

Lyme disease

M

Malaria

Measles (rubeola) [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Meningitis:

Meningococcal disease: sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis

Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Mpox [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), infection or colonization (e.g., MRSA, VRE, VISA/VRSA, CRE, Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, ESBLs) *MRSA and VRE: Only if wound without ability to cover or admitted to 10T3, OTU, NICU, PCICU, PHO, PCARD

Mumps (infectious parotitis)

Mycobacteria, nontuberculosis (atypical)

Mycoplasma pneumonia

N

Necrotizing enterocolitis

Norovirus

Norwalk agent gastroenteritis (see Gastroenteritis)

P

Parainfluenza virus infection

Parvovirus B19

Parechovirus (see Enterovirus)

Pediculosis (lice)

Pertussis (whooping cough)

Plague (Yersinia pestis) [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Pneumonia:

Prion disease (See Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease)

Q

Q fever

R

Rabies [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Resistant bacterial infection or colonization (see Multidrug-resistant organisms)

Respiratory infectious disease, acute (if not covered elsewhere):

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

Rheumatic fever

Rhinovirus/Enterovirus

Rickettsial fevers, tickborne (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tickborne typhus fever)

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rotavirus infection (see Gastroenteritis)

Rubeola (see Measles)

S

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) 

Salmonellosis (see Gastroenteritis)

Scabies

Smallpox (variola; see Vaccinia for management of vaccinated persons) [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Staphylococcal disease (S. aureus):

Streptococcal disease (group A streptococcus):

Streptococcal disease (group B streptococcus), neonatal

Streptococcal disease (not group A or B) unless covered elsewhere

Strongyloidiasis

Syphilis:

Latent (tertiary) and seropositivity without lesions
Skin and mucous membrane, including congenital, primary, secondary

T

Toxic shock syndrome (empiric; if pathogen known, see staphylococcal disease or streptococcal disease)

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (see Creutzfeld-Jacob disease, CJD, vCJD)

Tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis):

Tularemia

U

Urinary tract infection (including pyelonephritis), with or without urinary catheter, non-MDR organism

V

Vaccinia (smallpox vaccination complications): [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Varicella (see Herpes Zoster)

Variola (see Smallpox)

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (e.g. Lassa, Ebola, Marberg Viruses) [*NOTIFY INFECTION PREVENTION ASAP*]

Viral respiratory diseases (not covered elsewhere):

W

Whooping cough (see Pertussis)

Wound infections:

Y

Yellow fever

Yersinia enterocolitica gastroenteritis (see gastroenteritis)

Z

Zoster (varicella-zoster) (see Herpes zoster)