Micro Exam 3 Flashcards
(212 cards)
4 Variables that dictate the most appropriate antimicrobial strategy
- Type of microbe
- Number of microbes
- Risk of infection
- Object being sterilized/disinfected
Process by which all living cells, sores, and viruses on an object are destroyed
Sterilization
The killing, or removal, of disease-producing organisms from inanimate surfaces
Disinfection
Killing or removal of most pathogens from living tissues
Antisepsis
Reduces the microbial population to safe levels and usually involves cleaning
Sanitation
Antimicrobial chemical agents that kill microbes
Cidal agents
Antimicrobial chemicals that inhibit or control microbial growth
Static agents
Can antimicrobial agents also kill nonpathogenic microbes?
Yes
In the presence of antimicrobial agents, microbes are killed:
At an exponential rate
The time it takes to kill 90% of the population
Efficacy of disinfecting and sterilizing agents are measured using this
Decimal reduction time (D-value)
Sterilization by using high pressure (15psi) and high temperature (121C)
Pressured steam sterilization
Biohazards waste is destroyed by burning
Incineration
Heat sterilization for moisture-sensitive items
Dry oven
100C, kills most organisms and viruses, but not spores or hyperthermophiles
Boiling
The heating of food at a temperature and time combination that kills pathogens
Pasteurization
4-8C, is used for food preservation because most pathogens are mesophilic
Refrigeration
Cultures mixed 1:1 with glycerol can be stored for long term at low temperatures -70C
Freezing
Cultures are quickly frozen at very low temperatures in a vacuum, the LOWEST microbial presence here
Freeze drying (lyophilization)
Is using cold physical agents static or cidal?
Static because the microbes are not killed, the growth is just stopped
Sterilization where solutions are passed through filters with tiny pores
Filtration
Food is bombarded with high energy radiation
Irradiation
Microbial sensitivity to irradiation is relative to the genome size. Larger genomes =
More sensitive, more likely for mistakes to happen
4 factors that influence the efficacy of a disinfectant
- The presence of organic matter
- The kinds of organisms present
- Corrosiveness
- Stability, odor, and surface tension
Test that measures how well a disinfectant kills microbes dried onto a surface
Use-dilution test