Montana Cosmetology License Exam — All Questions

In a salon, which level of decontamination is required for multi-use (reusable) implements such as metal shears and combs that have not touched blood or body fluids?

• a.Washing in hot soapy water, then air drying
• b.Cleaning, then full immersion in an EPA-registered disinfectant✓
• c.Autoclave sterilization before use on every client
• d.Wiping with a disinfectant wipe between clients

There are three levels of decontamination: sanitation (lowest, reduces germs), disinfection (kills most pathogens on hard nonporous surfaces), and sterilization (highest, destroys all microbial life). Multi-use implements must first be cleaned to remove visible debris and then fully immersed in an EPA-registered disinfectant for the manufacturer's stated contact time. Cleaning alone does not kill pathogens, and salons generally are not required to autoclave/sterilize implements that have not contacted blood.

What does an EPA registration on a salon disinfectant label indicate?

• a.It has FDA approval for use on human skin
• b.It is a plant-based cleaner containing no chemicals
• c.It kills the pathogens named on its label✓
• d.It works on contact, with no dwell time needed

Disinfectants used on hard, nonporous salon surfaces and implements must be EPA-registered. EPA registration means the manufacturer submitted efficacy data proving the product kills the pathogens named on the label (for example, bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal claims). The label also states the required contact (dwell) time, which must be followed for the product to work. The EPA regulates surface disinfectants; the FDA regulates products applied to the body.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is of particular concern in salons primarily because it is a bacterium that:

• a.Is resistant to many antibiotics and spreads by skin contact✓
• b.Spreads only by ingesting contaminated food or water
• c.Is a fungus that infects the nail plate
• d.Is killed by any household cleaning product

MRSA is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that has become resistant to many antibiotics that once treated it, making infections harder to cure. It can spread through direct skin contact or by sharing contaminated implements and towels. This is exactly why strict cleaning and disinfection of implements between every client is essential in the salon.

If a client is accidentally cut and blood appears during a service, the correct procedure is to:

• a.Finish the service, then clean and disinfect the workstation
• b.Wipe the implement with alcohol and keep using it
• c.Apply an antiseptic and finish the service without gloves
• d.Stop, glove up, bandage the wound, and disinfect what touched blood✓

A blood spill requires following Universal (Standard) Precautions, which treat all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious. Stop the service, put on gloves, stop the bleeding and cover the wound, then clean and disinfect any implements or surfaces that contacted blood, and dispose of contaminated single-use materials in a properly sealed (often double-bagged) container. Implements exposed to blood should be disinfected with a product effective against bloodborne pathogens (HIV and hepatitis B/C).

Which level of decontamination destroys all microbial life, including bacterial spores?

• a.Sanitizing, which lowers the number of germs to a safer level only
• b.Disinfection, which kills most pathogens on hard nonporous surfaces
• c.Sterilization, the highest of the three decontamination levels✓
• d.Rinsing implements under warm running water after each client

Sterilization is the highest level of decontamination and is the only one that destroys every form of microbial life, including highly resistant bacterial spores. Sanitizing (cleaning) merely reduces the number of organisms present, and disinfection kills most pathogens on hard nonporous surfaces but cannot be relied on to destroy spores. Rinsing with water is not a level of decontamination at all; it removes some debris and nothing more.

What does cleaning (sanitizing) accomplish when a stylist washes a comb with soap and water?

• a.It removes visible debris and reduces germs, but does not kill most pathogens✓
• b.It destroys every bacterium, virus, and fungus living on the comb's outer surface
• c.It sterilizes the comb, so it may be reused with no further step needed
• d.It removes the need to immerse nonporous tools in an EPA-registered disinfectant

Cleaning is a mechanical process: soap, water, and friction lift oil, hair, product, and debris off the surface and physically wash organisms down the drain. That lowers the number of germs but does not kill the pathogens that remain. Cleaning is therefore the required first step, not a substitute for disinfection, and it certainly does not sterilize. A comb must still be immersed in an EPA-registered disinfectant before it touches another client.

A salon disinfectant is used exactly as its label directs. Which organisms may still survive on the implement?

• a.Common vegetative bacteria such as the staphylococci found on combs
• b.Bacterial spores, which resist most salon disinfectants✓
• c.Enveloped viruses named in the product's virucidal claim
• d.Fungi listed on a product that carries a fungicidal claim

Disinfection kills or inactivates most pathogens on hard nonporous surfaces, but bacterial spores are dormant, armored forms that survive drying, heat, and ordinary disinfectants. Only sterilization reliably destroys them. Organisms specifically named in the label's bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal claims are the ones the manufacturer proved the product kills when used at the labeled dilution and contact time, so those are not the survivors.

Ranked from the lowest level of decontamination to the highest, the three levels are:

• a.Disinfection first, then sanitation, and finally sterilization
• b.Sterilization first, then disinfection, and finally sanitation
• c.Sanitation, then sterilization, then disinfection
• d.Sanitation (cleaning), then disinfection, then sterilization✓

The three levels run from least to most effective: cleaning (sanitation) physically removes debris and reduces germs, disinfection kills most pathogens on hard nonporous surfaces, and sterilization destroys all microbial life including spores. The order matters in practice as well as on the exam, because an item must be cleaned before it is disinfected, and disinfection is the level the salon actually works at every day.

In which situation is sterilization, rather than disinfection, the required level of decontamination?

• a.For any instrument that penetrates the skin, which is sterilized or single-use and discarded✓
• b.For shears and clippers used on dry hair between two ordinary haircut clients
• c.For plastic capes and terry towels that go into the laundry at the end of a shift
• d.For countertops and shampoo bowls that are wiped down throughout the workday

Sterilization is reserved for instruments that break or penetrate the skin, because anything entering living tissue must carry no viable organisms at all; in most beauty settings such items are single-use and discarded instead. Ordinary salon tools, capes, towels, and surfaces do not penetrate skin, so cleaning followed by disinfection (or laundering, for linens) is the correct level for them.

Which salon practice is an example of sanitation, the lowest level of decontamination?

• a.Immersing metal shears in an EPA-registered disinfectant for the labeled contact time
• b.Autoclaving an instrument so that all microbial life, including spores, is destroyed
• c.Wiping a shampoo bowl with a product that carries a bactericidal efficacy claim
• d.Washing your hands with liquid soap and warm running water before a service✓

Sanitation reduces the number of organisms on a surface without killing most pathogens, and hand washing is its most familiar example. Immersing implements in an EPA-registered product and wiping a bowl with a disinfectant are both disinfection, the middle level. Running an instrument through an autoclave is sterilization, the highest level. Recognizing which activity belongs to which level is a routine exam question.

Why is disinfection, rather than sterilization, the working standard for most reusable salon implements?

• a.Because sterilizing equipment may legally be operated only by a licensed physician
• b.Because disinfectants destroy bacterial spores just as reliably as an autoclave does
• c.Because salon services are not meant to break the skin, so killing most pathogens suffices✓
• d.Because nearly all salon implements are porous and cannot be immersed in any liquid

Salon services are performed on intact skin, hair, and nails and are not intended to penetrate tissue, so the accepted standard of care is cleaning followed by disinfection with an EPA-registered product. Disinfectants do not match an autoclave against spores, salons are not barred from owning sterilizers, and most reusable implements are in fact nonporous metal or plastic that immerse perfectly well. Anything that does contact blood requires extra care or disposal.

A salon keeps combs in an ultraviolet 'sterilizer' cabinet. What is the correct understanding of this device?

• a.It sterilizes the implements inside, so cleaning and disinfection beforehand are unnecessary
• b.It is a storage container, and implements must still be cleaned and disinfected first✓
• c.It destroys bacterial spores on porous items such as emery boards and buffers
• d.It takes the place of the disinfectant solution used on shears between clients

Despite the name printed on the cabinet, an ultraviolet box is treated as a clean, closed storage container, not as a method of decontamination; most state boards do not accept UV light in place of cleaning and disinfecting. Implements must be cleaned, disinfected for the labeled contact time, dried, and only then stored in it. Nothing about the cabinet makes a porous item reusable, and porous single-use items are discarded regardless.

A salon disinfectant described as 'broad-spectrum' or hospital-level is one the label shows to be effective against:

• a.Only the bacteria that commonly live on the human skin, hair, and scalp
• b.Bacteria, viruses, and fungi, as spelled out in its efficacy claims✓
• c.Every organism in existence, including bacterial spores and parasites
• d.Household soils and odors rather than any specific microorganism

A broad-spectrum or hospital-level disinfectant carries efficacy claims covering bacteria, viruses, and fungi on hard nonporous surfaces, which is why it is the class of product salons use on implements and stations. It is not proof against every organism on earth, since even hospital-level products do not reliably kill bacterial spores. A cleaner that only lifts soils and odors is not a disinfectant at all and carries no kill claims.

A disinfectant label carries a tuberculocidal claim. What does that tell the cosmetologist?

• a.The product may be applied to a client's skin to prevent tuberculosis
• b.The product is safe to handle without gloves because it is nontoxic
• c.The product works instantly and has no contact time to observe
• d.The product kills the bacterium causing tuberculosis, an organism that is hard to kill✓

A tuberculocidal claim means the manufacturer demonstrated that the product kills Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an organism with a waxy cell wall that makes it unusually difficult to destroy; that is why the claim is used as a marker of potency. It says nothing about skin safety, and no disinfectant belongs on skin. Every disinfectant, tuberculocidal or not, still has a contact time on its label and still calls for gloves as the label and safety data sheet direct.

The 'contact time' (dwell time) stated on a disinfectant label refers to:

• a.How long the surface must stay visibly wet for the product to work✓
• b.How long the concentrate may be stored before it reaches its expiration date
• c.How long the diluted solution may be reused before replacement
• d.How long a technician may handle the product safely without wearing gloves

Contact time is the period the product must remain in continuous wet contact with the item or surface in order to achieve the kill claimed on the label; if it dries early, the surface must be rewetted. The correct universal statement is always the contact time stated on the manufacturer's label, because it differs from product to product. Shelf life, how often the solution is changed, and safe-handling limits are separate pieces of label information.

When diluting a concentrated disinfectant, the cosmetologist should:

• a.Add extra concentrate so the solution acts faster and lasts longer
• b.Estimate the dilution, since small differences do not change the result
• c.Measure and mix exactly as the label directs, every time✓
• d.Combine it with a household bleach product to broaden what it will kill

A disinfectant is proven effective only at the dilution printed on its label, so the concentrate and water must be measured, not estimated. Over-concentrating does not speed the kill; it wastes product, can corrode implements, and raises the exposure hazard to the user. Under-concentrating leaves a solution that may not kill what the label claims. Mixing two chemical products together is never acceptable, as some combinations release toxic gas.

Why must a salon disinfectant never be applied to a client's or a stylist's skin?

• a.Because skin contact makes the product ineffective against bacteria on tools
• b.Because the product would then also have to be registered with the FDA
• c.Because disinfectants lose their potency once warmed by body heat
• d.Because they are formulated for hard surfaces and can burn or irritate skin✓

Surface disinfectants are formulated to kill organisms on hard nonporous materials, not to be tolerated by living tissue, and they can cause chemical burns, irritation, and sensitization. Products intended for skin are antiseptics, such as hand soap and alcohol-based hand rub, and they are far less aggressive. Body heat does not neutralize a disinfectant, and touching skin does not change how the product performs on implements.

A disinfectant solution held in an immersion container should be replaced:

• a.Only when the container itself cracks or begins to leak on the counter
• b.Whenever it looks dirty or cloudy, and as often as the label directs✓
• c.Once a month, because the active ingredient does not break down
• d.After the final client of the week, no matter how the solution looks

A working solution is spent once it is visibly soiled, cloudy, or contaminated with hair and product residue, because organic debris ties up the active ingredient and the solution can no longer be trusted. It must also be changed at whatever interval the manufacturer's label states, since active ingredients do degrade over time. Waiting for the container to fail, or stretching one batch across a week, leaves implements soaking in a solution that is no longer disinfecting.

How should the container holding a salon's disinfectant immersion solution be maintained?

• a.Covered and labeled with the product name, implements fully immersed✓
• b.Left open on the counter so the solution can evaporate and concentrate
• c.Kept in an unmarked jar so that clients do not ask about the chemicals
• d.Filled halfway, letting the implements rest above the solution line

The immersion container is kept covered to limit evaporation and airborne contamination, and it is labeled with the name of the product it holds so that anyone in the salon knows what is in it. Implements must be completely immersed, since any part left above the liquid is never disinfected. Leaving the container open weakens and contaminates the solution, and an unmarked chemical container is a safety hazard for staff and inspectors alike.

A product is labeled bactericidal and fungicidal but carries no virucidal claim. That product:

• a.Has been proven effective against all three groups of organisms anyway
• b.May be used on skin, since it is not strong enough to be a disinfectant
• c.Has not been shown to kill viruses and cannot be relied on for that✓
• d.Kills bacteria only after the surface is first rinsed with plain water

Efficacy claims are specific: bactericidal means proven against bacteria, virucidal against viruses, and fungicidal against fungi. A product carries a claim only for the organisms whose test data the manufacturer submitted, so the absence of a virucidal claim means viral kill was never demonstrated. Claims cannot be assumed by analogy, no disinfectant belongs on skin, and a plain-water rinse is not what activates a product.

A stylist wants to use a disinfectant in a way the label does not describe. The correct professional response is that:

• a.Any use is acceptable so long as the product is EPA-registered
• b.The label is only a suggestion once the product has been purchased
• c.Label directions must be followed, since registration covers labeled uses only✓
• d.Off-label use is fine if the stylist simply increases the amount used

A disinfectant's registration and its proven kill claims apply only to the uses, dilutions, surfaces, and contact times printed on the label, so the label functions as the product's instructions and its legal limits at the same time. Using more product, applying it to an unlisted surface, or shortening the dwell time all take the product outside what was tested. When in doubt, the label and the safety data sheet are the authority.

Why must visible debris be cleaned off an implement before it is placed in disinfectant?

• a.Soil, oil, and hair hide organisms and can inactivate the disinfectant✓
• b.Debris makes the disinfectant work faster than the label's contact time
• c.Cleaning first is a cosmetic step so the implements look presentable
• d.Removing the debris lets the implement float instead of sinking in the jar

Hair, skin cells, product residue, and oil form a physical barrier that keeps the disinfectant from reaching organisms underneath, and organic matter chemically ties up many active ingredients so the solution is weakened for everything else in the container. That is why every label instructs the user to clean first. Cleaning is a required decontamination step with a microbiological purpose, not an appearance issue.

Which sequence correctly describes preparing a used metal implement for the next client?

• a.Immerse it in disinfectant, then scrub it with soap and water, then rinse it
• b.Rinse it under hot water, dry it with a towel, then return it to the drawer
• c.Spray it with disinfectant, wipe it, then use it right away
• d.Clean it with soap and a brush, rinse, dry, then immerse in disinfectant✓

The order is always clean, rinse, dry, disinfect, and then store in a clean covered container. Scrubbing with soap, water, and a brush removes debris from hinges and grooves, rinsing carries the loosened soil away, and drying keeps rinse water from diluting the solution. Disinfecting before cleaning wastes the product on a soiled surface, and rinsing or a quick wipe alone never disinfects anything.

Which of the following salon items is porous?

• a.A stainless steel cuticle nipper used during a manicure
• b.A wooden pusher used to push back the eponychium✓
• c.A glass bowl used to hold a mixed color formula
• d.A plastic comb used to section the hair during a cut

Wood is an absorbent material full of tiny openings, so a wooden pusher takes up moisture, oil, and debris that no disinfectant can reach; it is a single-use item and goes in the trash after one client. Stainless steel, glass, and hard plastic have no pores, absorb nothing, and can be cleaned and then immersed in an EPA-registered disinfectant for reuse. Sorting items into porous and nonporous is the first decision in salon infection control.

In infection control, an item described as nonporous is one that:

• a.Has no openings and absorbs nothing, so it can be disinfected✓
• b.Absorbs liquids into the material and must therefore be thrown away
• c.Has some absorbency and may be reused only as the manufacturer directs
• d.Is made of wood or paper and is intended for use on a single client

Nonporous items, such as metal, glass, and hard plastic, have a smooth sealed surface that liquid cannot enter, so a disinfectant reaches every organism on them and they are safe to reuse after cleaning and disinfection. Porous items absorb liquid and debris into the material itself, cannot be disinfected, and are discarded after one client. Items sometimes called semi-porous fall in between and are reusable only if the manufacturer states they can be cleaned and disinfected.

After a pedicure, what must be done with the disposable buffer and the wooden stick that were used?

• a.They are cleaned, immersed in disinfectant, and returned to the drawer
• b.They are thrown away, because single-use porous items cannot be disinfected✓
• c.They are wiped with alcohol and placed back into the clean tool tray
• d.They are rinsed under running water and dried before the next client

Buffers, abrasive files, and wooden sticks are porous: they hold skin cells, oil, and moisture inside the material where a disinfectant cannot penetrate. Because they cannot be decontaminated, they are single-use items and must be discarded after one client, no matter how clean they look. Wiping, rinsing, or immersing them does not make them safe, and reusing them is one of the most common ways an infection travels between clients.

Which statement about electric file bits used during nail services is correct?

• a.Every electric file bit is single-use and must be thrown away after one client
• b.Bits may be reused without cleaning, because they spin at very high speed
• c.Abrasive sanding bands can be brushed off and reused on the next client
• d.Metal and carbide bits are nonporous, so they can be cleaned and disinfected✓

Electric file bits are the notable exception to the rule that nail-service abrasives are disposable: solid metal, carbide, and diamond bits are nonporous, so they can be brushed clean of dust, rinsed, dried, and then immersed in an EPA-registered disinfectant for the labeled contact time. Disposable abrasive sanding bands and sleeves are porous and go in the trash after one client. Speed of rotation decontaminates nothing.

After rinsing a cleaned implement, why should it be dried before being placed in the disinfectant?

• a.Because a wet implement will begin to rust the moment it is immersed
• b.Because drying is the step that actually kills pathogens on the metal
• c.Because water carried into the container dilutes and weakens the solution✓
• d.Because disinfectant cannot be poured over an implement that is already wet

Each wet implement drags rinse water into the jar, and over a day of services that added water dilutes the solution below the concentration the manufacturer tested, so it may no longer kill what the label claims. Drying with a clean towel or air drying prevents that. Drying is not itself a kill step; pathogens survive on a dry surface, which is exactly why the disinfection step follows.

Bacteria are present everywhere in a salon. Which of these describes them accurately?

• a.All bacteria are pathogenic and cause disease in anyone who contacts them
• b.Most bacteria are nonpathogenic and harmless, while a minority cause disease✓
• c.Only the bacteria living on human skin are capable of causing an infection
• d.Bacteria are too large to be carried on an implement or a shared towel

The great majority of bacteria are nonpathogenic: they perform useful functions such as breaking down waste and living harmlessly on the skin and in the body. Only a minority are pathogenic, meaning they produce disease, and those are the ones infection control targets. Pathogens can come from many sources, not just human skin, and bacteria are microscopic, so they travel easily on implements, towels, capes, and hands.

Bacteria that grow in grape-like clusters and are associated with pus, boils, and abscesses are:

• a.Bacilli, the rod-shaped bacteria that can form spores
• b.Spirilla, the spiral bacteria that move in a twisting motion
• c.Diplococci, the round bacteria that grow in pairs
• d.Staphylococci, a form of round cocci bacteria✓

Staphylococci are cocci, the round bacteria, arranged in irregular clusters that look like a bunch of grapes; they are pus-forming organisms behind boils, abscesses, and many skin infections seen in salons. Diplococci are cocci that grow in pairs, bacilli are the rod-shaped group, and spirilla are the spiral or corkscrew forms. Recognizing bacterial shapes and their arrangements is standard exam content.

Which cocci grow in chains and are associated with strep throat and blood poisoning?

• a.Streptococci, which form long chains of round cells✓
• b.Diplococci, which grow in pairs and can cause pneumonia
• c.Staphylococci, which form clusters resembling a bunch of grapes
• d.Bacilli, which are rod-shaped and cause tetanus and typhoid fever

Streptococci are round cocci that divide in one plane and remain attached, forming chains; they are the organisms behind strep throat and blood poisoning. Diplococci grow in pairs and include the organism that causes pneumonia. Staphylococci form grape-like clusters and cause pus-filled infections. Bacilli are not cocci at all but the rod-shaped group responsible for diseases such as tetanus, typhoid fever, and tuberculosis.

Which pairing of a bacterial shape with its description is correct?

• a.Cocci are the corkscrew-shaped bacteria that move with a twisting motion
• b.Spirilla are round bacteria that grow in clusters and produce boils
• c.Bacilli are rod-shaped bacteria, and some of them can produce spores✓
• d.Diplococci are rod-shaped organisms that grow end to end in long chains

Bacilli are the rod-shaped bacteria and are the most common form; several species, including those causing tetanus and anthrax, can produce protective spores. Cocci are the round bacteria, subdivided into staphylococci (clusters), streptococci (chains), and diplococci (pairs). Spirilla are the spiral or corkscrew forms. Each of the other pairings swaps a shape with the description that belongs to a different group.

Spiral or corkscrew-shaped bacteria, the group including the organisms of syphilis and Lyme disease, are:

• a.Spirilla, which appear as curved or corkscrew-shaped cells✓
• b.Streptococci, which appear as chains of round cells joined together
• c.Staphylococci, which appear as irregular grape-like clusters
• d.Bacilli, which appear as straight rods with rounded ends

Spirilla are the spiral or corkscrew-shaped bacteria, a group that includes Treponema pallidum, the organism of syphilis, and Borrelia burgdorferi, the organism of Lyme disease. They are not spread by ordinary salon contact, but the shape is standard curriculum content. Streptococci and staphylococci are round cocci arranged in chains and clusters respectively, and bacilli are the straight rod-shaped forms.

Under warm, damp, dirty conditions, how do bacteria multiply?

• a.By producing tiny seeds that travel through the air to new salon surfaces
• b.By invading a living host cell and forcing it to copy the organism
• c.By combining with a virus to create a new and larger organism
• d.By binary fission, in which one cell divides into two identical cells✓

Bacteria reproduce by binary fission: a single cell grows, copies its genetic material, and splits into two identical daughter cells, a cycle that can repeat in minutes when conditions are warm, moist, dark, and rich in debris. That is why a soiled implement or a neglected foot spa becomes dangerous so quickly. Needing to enter a host cell to reproduce describes a virus, not a bacterium, and bacteria do not make seeds.

Some bacteria form spores when conditions turn unfavorable. Why does that matter in infection control?

• a.Spores cause the bacteria to die more quickly once they leave a host
• b.Spores resist heat, drying, and most disinfectants, so they can survive✓
• c.Spores are the stage that every salon disinfectant is designed to target
• d.Spores occur only in fungi and are never produced by any bacterium

A spore is a dormant, tough-walled form that certain bacteria produce to survive heat, drying, cold, and chemicals; when favorable conditions return, the organism becomes active again. Because spores withstand ordinary disinfectants, only sterilization is considered reliable against them, which is one reason instruments that penetrate the skin are sterilized or discarded. Spore formation is a bacterial survival mechanism, not a weakness and not exclusive to fungi.

Which statement correctly contrasts a virus with a bacterium?

• a.A virus is larger than a bacterium and lives freely on salon surfaces
• b.A virus is destroyed by antibiotics, while a bacterium is unaffected
• c.A virus must enter a living cell to reproduce, and antibiotics do not treat it✓
• d.A virus reproduces by binary fission, exactly as a bacterium does

Viruses are far smaller than bacteria and are not independent organisms: they must invade a living host cell and hijack it in order to replicate. Because they lack the cell structures antibiotics attack, antibiotics are useless against viral illness and are appropriate only for bacterial infection. Bacteria, by contrast, are complete cells that reproduce on their own by binary fission and can live on a surface without a host.

Tinea, commonly called ringworm, is correctly described as:

• a.A parasitic worm that burrows in a circle beneath the skin
• b.A bacterial infection that clears with a topical antibiotic
• c.A contagious fungal infection of the skin, scalp, or nails✓
• d.A harmless change in pigment that a stylist may service

Tinea is caused by fungi, not by a worm, despite the name ringworm and the ring-shaped lesion it often produces. It is contagious and can be spread by direct contact and by contaminated implements, capes, and towels, and the same family of organisms causes tinea pedis (athlete's foot) and onychomycosis in the nails. Because it is a fungal infection rather than a cosmetic condition, the client is referred to a physician and the service is declined.

A client's scalp shows round scaly patches with broken hairs, suggesting a fungal infection. The cosmetologist should:

• a.Perform the service, using extra conditioner to soothe the irritated patches
• b.Decline the service, refer the client to a physician, and disinfect anything used✓
• c.Apply an EPA-registered disinfectant to the scalp before starting the service
• d.Continue the service but wear gloves and skip the shampoo at the bowl

A cosmetologist never diagnoses, but visible signs of a possible infection are a stop signal: the service is declined politely, the client is referred to a physician, and any implement, cape, or towel that touched the client is cleaned and disinfected or discarded. Working on the area risks spreading a contagious organism to other clients and to the stylist. A surface disinfectant must never be applied to skin, and gloves do not make an infectious scalp safe to service.

Pediculosis capitis and scabies are both classified as:

• a.Parasitic infestations, caused by lice and the itch mite✓
• b.Fungal infections that respond to an over-the-counter antifungal
• c.Bacterial infections caused by cocci carried on shared combs
• d.Viral conditions that travel through the air in a crowded salon

Pediculosis capitis is infestation of the scalp with head lice, and scabies is caused by the itch mite burrowing under the skin; both are parasites, organisms that live on or in another living thing at that host's expense. Both are contagious, so the service is declined and the client is referred for treatment, and anything that touched the client must be discarded or cleaned and disinfected. Neither is fungal, bacterial, or airborne.

A client has a single inflamed, pus-filled boil on the neck. This is an example of:

• a.A general infection, because pathogens have entered the bloodstream
• b.A parasitic infestation, because pus shows that an insect has burrowed
• c.A noninfectious disorder that a cosmetologist may safely work around
• d.A local infection, because it is confined to one part of the body✓

A local infection is confined to a particular part of the body and typically appears as a boil, pimple, or abscess containing pus. A general or systemic infection occurs when the pathogen travels through the bloodstream and affects the whole body. Pus is a sign of bacterial infection, not of a parasite, and any area showing signs of infection is not serviced; the client is referred to a physician.