What method of microbial control completely destroys all forms of microbial life?

Sterilization

What is commercial sterilization?

Limited heat treatment, destroys pathogens but not all bacteria (killing C. botulinum endospores)

What method destroys the vegetative cells on a surface?

Disinfection

What is a disinfectant?

Chemical treatment used to disinfect inanimate objects (removal of pathogens)

What method is treatment of living skin or tissue to kill microorganisms (removal of pathogens from living tissue)?

Antisepsis

What is physical removal of microbes (alcohol swab, soap) - as in cleaning the skin prior to injections?

Degerming

What is sepsis?

Refers to microbial contamination

What is asepsis?

The absence of significant contamination

What prevents microbial contamination of wounds?

Aseptic surgery techniques

What is the systematic cleansing of inanimate objects to reduce the microbial count to a safe level (for public health, used in restrooms, kitchens)?

Sanitize

What is bactericidal?

(-cidal, to kill); kill all bacteria

What is bacteriostatic?

(-static, to stop); halt (inhibit) the growth of bacteria for as long as the inhibitory substance is present; if inhibitor is removed, growth begins again

Microbial death (same as growth) occurs how?

Killing in a population is not instantaneous, it occurs exponentially

What does the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatment depend on?

Number of microbes

Environment (organic matter, temperature, biofilms)

Time of exposure (need time for disinfectant to work, then wipe)

Microbial characteristics (if unfavorable conditions then will make endospore)

What is thermal death time (TDT)?

The time at a given temperature in which all the microorganisms in a liquid culture will be killed.

What is