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Terms in this set (64)
PHYSICAL AGENTS
Heat:
-dry, e.g. incineration, dry oven
-moist, e.g. steam under pressure, boiling/hot water, pasteurization
Radiation
-Ionizing, e.g. X ray, cathode, gamma
-UV
CHEMICAL AGENTS
Gases
Liquids:
-animate
-inanimate
MECHANICAL REMOVAL METHODS
Filtration, e.g. air and liquid
BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
Predator
Virus
Toxin
Heat:
-dry, e.g. incineration, dry oven
-moist, e.g. steam under pressure, boiling/hot water, pasteurization
Radiation
-Ionizing, e.g. X ray, cathode, gamma
-UV
CHEMICAL AGENTS
Gases
Liquids:
-animate
-inanimate
MECHANICAL REMOVAL METHODS
Filtration, e.g. air and liquid
BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
Predator
Virus
Toxin
DISINFECTION: the killing, inhibition, or removal of microorganisms that may cause disease; disinfection is the substantial reduction of the total microbial population and the destruction of potential pathogens. Disinfectants are agents, usually chemical, used to carry out disinfection and normally used ONLY on inanimate objects. A disinfectant does not necessarily sterilize an object because viable spores and a few microorganisms may remain.
STERILIZATION: the process by which all living cells, spores, and acellular entities (e.g., viruses, viroids, and prions) are either destroyed or removed from an object or habitat. A sterile object is totally free of viable microorganisms, spores, and other infectious agents. When sterilization is achieved by a chemical agent, the chemical is called a sterilant.
STERILIZATION: the process by which all living cells, spores, and acellular entities (e.g., viruses, viroids, and prions) are either destroyed or removed from an object or habitat. A sterile object is totally free of viable microorganisms, spores, and other infectious agents. When sterilization is achieved by a chemical agent, the chemical is called a sterilant.
It is essential to have a precise measure of an agent's KILLING efficiency. One such measure is the decimal reduction time (D) or D value. The decimal reduction time is the time required to kill 90% of the microorganisms or spores in a sample under specified conditions.
For example, in a semilogarithmic plot of the population remaining versus the time of heating, the D value is the time required for the line to drop by one log cycle or tenfold.
For example, in a semilogarithmic plot of the population remaining versus the time of heating, the D value is the time required for the line to drop by one log cycle or tenfold.