| Question | Answer |
| microbial contamination (possibly life-threatening) | Sepsis |
| absence of significant contamination | Asepsis |
| prevents microbial contamination (ex: in a lab or during surgery) | Aseptic techniques |
| removing all microbial life including all endospores | Sterilization |
| removing pathogens from inanimate objects | Disinfection |
| removing pathogens from living tissue, especially wounded tissue | Antisepsis |
| removing microbes from a limited area, especially not wounded part | Degermation |
| any cleansing technique that mechanically removes microbes | Sanitization |
| What are you accomplishing if you apply 5% bleach to an examining table? | disinfection |
| What are you accomplishing if you handwash with soap? | sanitization |
| What are you accomplishing if you are performing surgical handscrub? | degermation |
| what are Microbicidal agents? | biocide, germicide |
| what are examples of microbistatic agents? | bacteriostatic agent, fungistatic agent |
| Many antibiotics are what kind of agents? | microbistatic agents |
| What is the death in microorganisms? | microbials die at a constant rate (6 min) |
| chemical concentration x exposure time= | CT value |
| -alteration of membrane permeability
-damage to proteins
-damage to nucleic acids | Actions of Microbial Control Agents |
| -Heat
-Low temps., high pressure, desiccation, and osmotic pressure
-filtration
-radiation | physical methods of microbial control |
| Disinfection or sterilization?
Boiling at 100 degrees C for 30 min to destroy non-spore-forming pathogens | disinfection |
| steam under pressure
-steam must contact the item's surface
-more effective than boiling water: kill endospores | Autoclave |
| -reduces spoilage organisms and pathogens
-applied to milk or beer | Pasteurization |
| Demonstrated that life did not arise spontaneously from nonliving matter | Louis Pasteur |
| showed that microbes are responsible for fermentation | Pasteur |
| the conversion of sugar to alcohol to make beer and wine | Fermentation |
| found that yeast ferment sugars to alcohol and that bacteria can oxidize the alcohol to acetic acid | Pasteur |
| responsible for spoilage of food | microbial growth |
| heating process that is used to kill bacteria in some alcoholic beverages and milk | Pasteurization |
| Dry heat:
-flaming
-inceneration
-hot-air sterilization | Dry heat sterilization |
| physical removal of microbes by passing a gas or liquid through filter | Filtration |
| physical method of microbial control that inhibits microbial growth | Low temperature |
| Physical method of microbial control that prevents metabolism | Desiccation |
| Physical method of microbial control that causes plasmolysis | Osmotic pressure |
| High what can kill microorganisms? | energy radiations |
| little penetrating power so it must be directly exposed | Nonionizing radiation |
| what disrupts plasma membranes? | Phenol and Phenolics |
| not rarely used as an antiseptic or disinfectant | phenol |
| the gold standard of disinfectants and other disinfectants are often compared to to rate their effectiveness | Phenol |
| Hexachlorophene, triclosan (found in hand soap)
-disrupt plasma membranes | Bisphenols |
| -disrupts plasma membranes
-is not absorbed into the skin
-used as skin degerming agents for preoperative scrubs, skin cleaning, and burns | Chlorhexidine |
| Iodine
-Alter protein synthesis and membranes
-Tinctures: In aqueous alcohol
-Iodophors: in organic molecules, iodine is released slowly, betadine
Chlorine | Halogens |
| Ethanol, isopropanol
-denature proteins, dissolve lipids | Alcohols |
| What % of ethanol is more effective than 100%? | 70% |
| -sorbic acid, benzoic acid, and calcium propionate
-inhibit metabolism
-control molds and bacteria in foods and cosmetics
-safe | Organic acids |
| prevents botulism endospore germination but produces the carcinogen nitrosamines | Nitrate or nitrite |
| -sterilant
-Formaldehyde, formalin, and glutaraldehyde
-inactivate proteins by cross-linking with functional groups
-use: medical equipment, embalming by morticians | Aldehydes |
| do not have much direct effect on microorganisms, and bacteria can readily be isolated from the interior of recently operated microwave ovens | microwaves |
