Percutaneous means which route of transmission?

• A. Through the skin
• B. Through the lungs
• C. Through the mouth
• D. Through intravenous access

Answer: (A)

Percutaneous means entry through the skin. It describes transmission that occurs when the skin barrier is breached by a puncture, cut, or needle-stick, allowing microbes to enter the body. This route is all about crossing the skin barrier itself. The other possibilities involve different pathways—through the lungs (inhalation) or through the mouth (ingestion). Intravenous access also involves penetrating the skin, but percutaneous as a transmission route emphasizes the skin crossing, not the specific venous route afterward. So, the transmission route described by percutaneous is through the skin.