Lecture 6- control of microbial growth Flashcards
what is sterilization?
the killing or removal of all viable organisms within a growth medium
what is inhibition
effectively limiting microbial growth (no killing taking place)
what is decontamination?
treatment of an object to make it safe to handle
what is disinfection?
directly targets the removal of all pathogens but not necessarily all microorganisms
what is the most widely used method of controlling microbial growth?
heat sterilization
how does heat sterilization work?
the high temperature denatures macromolecules
what can heat sterilization not sterilize against?
bacterial endospores because they’re heat resistant
what is the decimal reduction time?
amount of time required to reduce viability tenfold
time it takes for a 10 fold reduction in bacterial numbers
what is pasteurization?
the process of using precisely controlled heat to reduce the microbial load in heat sensitive liquids
does pasteurization sterilize?
NO, it doesnt kill all organisms, thus is not sterilization
what two processes kill coxiella burnetii heat resistant pathogen found in milk?
low temp, long time
-63C for 30 minutes
high temp, short time
-72C for 15 minutes
what is the autoclave?
sealed device that uses steam under pressure
what temperature does the water get to in the autoclave?
above 100C
how does the autoclave ensure sterility?
121C for 15 minutes at 15 pounds per square inch
what is radiation?
physical method of growth control
what is radiation used for?
sterilization in the medical field and food industry (chicken, hamburger, spices…)
what are examples of radiation that can reduce microbial growth?
microwaves
UV
X- rays
electrons
how does UV reduce microbial growth?
has sufficient energy to cause modification and breaks in DNA
what is the UV useful for?
decontaminating surfaces (cannot penetrate solid, opaque or light absorbing surfaces)
what is ionizing radiation?
electromagnetic radiation that produces ions and other reactive molecules. generates electrons, hydroxyl radicals and hydride radicals
what are sources of radiation?
cathode ray tubes
x rays
radioactive nuclides
why might we use filtration to sterilize?
because it avoids the use of heat on sensitive liquids and gases
how does filtration work?
pores of the filter are too small for organisms to pass through so it only allows liquid or gas to pass through
using a membrane filter what are the 3 ways filtration can be accomplished?
syringe
pump
vacuum