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Infectious Agents > Exam 1: Sterilization, Disinfection, Decontamination > Flashcards

Exam 1: Sterilization, Disinfection, Decontamination Flashcards

1
Q

What is sterilization?

A

The removing or killing of all microbes on an object or in any material (killing spores)

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2
Q

What does killing mean?

A

Making microbes unable to grow or reproduce even under the most favorable growth conditions

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3
Q

What does sterile mean?

A

Totally devoid of life, all cells are dead

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4
Q

What is the limiting requirement of sterilization?

A

Destruction of bacterial endospores, the most resistant form of life

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5
Q

What is disinfection?

A

The process of reduction or elimination of pathogenic microbes in or on materials so they are no longer a hazard
Some living microbes may persist

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6
Q

Is disinfection sterilization?

A

No

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7
Q

What are disinfections?

A

Chemical agents used on inanimate objects

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8
Q

What are antiseptics?

A

Relatively nontoxic chemical agents used on animals or people

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9
Q

What is decontamination?

A

The same as disinfection but implies a broader role including inactivation or removal of microbial toxins and pathogens

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10
Q

What does germicide/germicidal refer to?

A

An agent capable of killing most microbes rapidly

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11
Q

What may be an agent that is germicidal?

A

Bactericidal, sporicidal, fungicidal, or viricidal

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12
Q

What do bacteriostatic and fungistatic indicate?

A

That the antimicrobial agents is primarily inhibitory in its action; they prevent growth without killing

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13
Q

What is preservation?

A

The prevention of multiplication of microorganisms in formulated products, including pharmaceuticals and foods

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14
Q

What are simple methods for preventing exposure to undesirable microbes?

A

Mechanical removal- washing and scrubbing
Cooking food
Maintain normal flora

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15
Q

Is boiling sterilization? Why?

A

No. It does not kill spores

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16
Q

What are physical methods to control microbes?

A

Heat
Radiation
Filtration

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17
Q

What are the 4 ways that heat is used to destroy microbes?

A

Boiling water or steam at 100 degrees C
Dry heat at 160-170 degrees C for 1 hr or 145 degrees C for 4 hrs.
Autoclaving
Pasteurization

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18
Q

Is dry heat sterilization?

A

Yes

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19
Q

What is the most effective and commonly used method to achieve sterilization?

A

Autoclaving

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20
Q

Describe autoclaving

A

A temperature of 121 degrees C is attained when steam is at 15 psi pressure
15 minutes is effective for instrument sterilization, but longer times may be needed for media or other liquids

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21
Q

Is pasteurization sterilization?

A

No

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22
Q

What is UV light used to do?

A

Combat air-borne infections and contaminants

It is effective against vegetative cells, but some spores are resistant

23
Q

What is ionizing radiation commonly used to do?

A

Sterilize many items, including foods and almost all disposable medical devices

24
Q

What is filtration used to do?

A

Sterilize bacteriologic media, serum, injection fluids, and solutions or other heat sensitive

25
Q

What filter should be used in filtration?

A

One with a pore size of 0.45 μm or less to remove all bacteria (except mucoplasmas) from solutions

26
Q

Do filters remove viruses?

A

No, but they are used to separate bacterial from viruses for viral culture

27
Q

List bacteria that are resistant to disinfectants and antiseptics from most resistant to least

A

Spores
Mycobateria (acid-fast gram-positives)
Gram negative bacteria
Gram positive bacteria

28
Q

How do antiseptics and disinfectant differ from antibiotics?

A

Have a broader spectrum of activity

May have multiple targets in or on the bacterial cell

29
Q

What are the major groups of chemical disinfectants?

A 
Alcohols
Ethylene oxide gas
Aldehydes
Halogens
Phenolic compounds
Quarternary ammonium compounds 
Biguanide compounds
Peroxygens
Silver compounds
Mercurials
Soaps or anionic detergents
30
Q

Describe alcohols

A

Rapidly bactericidal, including many acid-fast organisms, but are not sporicidal
Widely used for hard-surface decontamination and skin antisepsis
Antimicrobial activity is optimal in the 60-90% range

31
Q

Describe ethylene oxide gas

A

Sporicidal
It is mutagenic and explosive
Requires a long aeration time

32
Q

What are the different types of aldehydes?

A

Glutaraldehyde

Formaldehyde

33
Q

What is glutaraldehyde?

A

The most bactericidal compound available

34
Q

Describe glutaraldehyde

A

Broad spectrum activity against bacteria, spores, fungi, and viruses
Has good mycobactericidal activity
Used for low-temperature disinfection of endoscopes and surgical instruments

35
Q

Describe formaldehyde

A

Sporicidal, but require long exposure time

Mixed with alcohols it is the most effective instrument soak available

36
Q

What are the different halogens?

A 
Sodium hypochlorite (bleach)
Aqueous or alcoholic solutions of iodine (tincture)
Iodophors (povidone-iodine)
37
Q

What is sodium hypochlorite used for?

A

Hard surface decontamination

38
Q

What are aqueous or alcoholic solutions of iodine?

A

Rapidly bactericidal, sporicidal, and fungicidal, but they are unstable and associated with irritation and excessive staining

39
Q

What are iodophors?

A

Complexes of iodine with a solubilizing agent

They are more stable, but considered less active against spores and fungi

40
Q

What are phenolic compounds used as?

A

Antiseptics
Disinfectants
Preservatives

41
Q

What is highly resistant to phenolic compounds?

A

Mycobacterium

42
Q

What is the oldest known disinfectant?

A

Phenol

43
Q

What are examples of phenolic compounds?

A

Chloroxylenol

Triclosan

44
Q

What is chloroxylenol?

A

A broad spectrum antimicrobial effective against bacteria, fungi, and viruses

45
Q

What is triclosan?

A

Widely used in antiseptic soaps and hand rinses

Especially effective against gram-positives

46
Q

What are quarternary ammonium compounds?

A

Nitrogenous cationic surface active agents used for preoperative disinfections of unbroken skin, application to mucosal membranes, and disinfection of non-critical surfaces
Also used for cleaning and deodorization
Not sporicidal or mycobactericidal

47
Q

When do quarternary ammonium compounds not work?

A

When they come into contact with organic material

48
Q

What is the most widely used thing in antiseptic products, in particular in handwashing and oral products?

A

The biguanide, chlorhexidine

49
Q

Describe biguanide compounds

A

Bactericidal with broad-spectrum efficacy

Not mycobactericidal or sporicidal

50
Q

Describe peroxygens

A

Widely used for disinfection and antisepsis
Has broad-spectrum activity
Bacterial expression of catalase or other peroxidases can increase tolerance
Higher concentrations and longer exposure times are required for sporicidal activity

51
Q

What are silver compounds used to do?

A

Prevent infection of burns and some eye infections

52
Q

What are the types of acquired resistance to antiseptics and disinfectants?

A

Mutation
Gene acquisition
Physiologic adaptation

53
Q

What has increased resistance to antiseptics and disinfectants? What is this an examples of?

A

Bacteria in biofilms

Physiologic adaptation

Infectious Agents (38 decks)

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