Physical and Chemical Control of Microbes Flashcards
Microbes with least level of resistance
vegetative bacterial; most likely to be killed
Microbes with moderate levels of resistance
protozoan cyst and fungal spores
Microbes with high levels of resistance
bacterial endospores and prions
Sterilization
any process that destroys all life and inactivates all viruses and prions
Sterile
everything dead
Inactivated
mostly/partly sterile
-icide
to kill (fungicide)
-statics
prevent growth; killing is not the goal (bacteriostatics, fungistatic)
Disinfectant
process of destroying vegetative pathogens/endospores and remove toxic products of organisms
Sanitization
removes microorganisms and debris; physical removal
Sepsis
state of having microbes present (in body tissues)
Asepsis
practice that prevents the entry of a microbe into tissue, body, areas
Microbial death
whether or not they are capable of undergoing cell division in their optimal conditions
How to decide method to kill microbe
number of organisms, nature of the organism, environmental conditions, concentration of antimicrobial agent, mode of action of the antimicrobial agent, presence of interfering organic matter or solvents things
Number of organisms
more = thicker = longer time to destroy microbes
Nature of organisms
microbes ability to survive
Environmental conditions
temperature and pH in which you’re trying to kill the microorganisms can affect the activity of the disinfectant
Concentration of antimicrobial agent
higher the concentration the better the antimicrobial agent is (except alcohol)
Mode of action of the antimicrobial agent
how that antimicrobial agent attacks the microbe and knowing whether or not the microbe actually contains the structure that’s being attacked
Presence of interfering organic matter or solvents things
can inhibit the action of antimicrobial agents
Mode of action
against cell wall, surfactants, cellular synthesis, protein structure and function
Action against bacterial cell wall
target the cell wall; compromised cell wall can allow attack of cell membrane
Action of surfactants
disrupts the structural integrity of phospholipid membrane causing release of important molecules and toxins to come into cell
Action of targeting cellular synthesis
targeting anything that can affect the ability for a microbe to reproduce and survive
Action of targeting protein structure and function
destroys function of protein; cell wont be able to release waste, bring in nutrients, etc.
Moist heat
heat that includes the use of steam (60-135C)
Mode of action of moist heat
coagulates and denatures protein
How to have steam @ temps above 100C?
add pressure