Final answer:
The example of direct contact transmission is touching an open wound. This includes any physical skin-to-skin contact or touching surfaces that have been in contact with the infected person's skin or body fluids.
Step-by-step explanation:
A direct contact transmission of pathogens occurs when there is physical contact between an infected individual and a new host. The correct answer to the question of an example of direct contact is touching an open wound. This form of transmission can happen through skin-to-skin contact or when individuals touch the same surfaces, such as tools or doorknobs, and then touch their own skin or mucous membranes.
Other forms of direct contact include sharing items that go in the mouth like drinking glasses or eating utensils which can transmit pathogens orally. Furthermore, contagious diseases can spread through contact with infected body fluids such as blood, saliva, or semen during activities like IV drug use, sexual transmission, or when healthcare workers are treating infected patients.
While touching a doorknob after an infected person or using a toilet seat after an infected person may lead to exposure to pathogens, they require the intermediary surface and are thus indirect contact. Inhaling air droplets from a sneeze is an example of airborne transmission, which is different from direct contact.