factors affecting antimicrobial success

Question 1

1. number of microbes present

Answer 1

denser population may not all receive equal exposure to agent, decreasing its effectiveness

Question 2

2. environmental factors (presence of organic matter/biofilms

Answer 2

agents may bind to organic matter in environment instead of the organic matter of the cell to decrease agent effectiveness

cool temps may slow down diffusion of agent from source to decrease agent effectivenss

low or high pH may inactivate the agent completely

Question 3

3. Concentration or intensity of treatment

Answer 3

low concentration of agent or too low intensity may not be able to reach all organisms equally

Question 4

4. time of exposure

Answer 4

it takes time for agents to diffuse equally to each organism decreasing effectiveness of agent

Question 5

5. presence of resistant microbial structures

Answer 5

endospores, mycolic acids are very resistant to chemical exposure and promote microbe survival

often agent cannot get into cells with these strucutres