Sterile Products (IC4) Flashcards
Definition of Sterility
Absence of any viable organisms
What is the Sterility Assurance Level (SAL)? What is the most common SAL?
SAL is the probability of one viable microorganism in a certain number of dug products. It is done by neutralising any preservative in the sterile product and testing the amount of bacteria present inside.
most common SAL is 10^-6, which means finding a microbe in one product out of 1 million products
What is the difference between SAL and log reduction?
Log reduction is the efficacy of one disinfectant
SAL is the sterility of the entire batch of disinfectants
2 risks of having a high bioburden
1) Contamination of viable microorganisms
2) Contamination of pyrogens produced by viable microbes
What is the most common pyrogen?
Endotoxin, an example of Lipopsaccharides produced by gram (-) bacteria eg. E.coli
3 requirements of a sterile product
1) No microorganisms
2) Endotoxin within limits
3) No detectable particles
What are 6 different sterilisation methods?
1) Dry heat
2) Moist heat in autoclave
3) Aseptic filtration
4) Gamma irradiation
5) Vapour phase sterilants (Ethylene oxide, Nitrous oxide, H2O2 fog)
6) Lyophilisation
Advantages and Disadvantages of Aseptic filtration
Adv: Can check filter integrity, ensure that filter does not rupture
can remove pyrogens
Disadv: Filter must be suitable for filtrate
Advantages and Disadvantages of Gamma irradiation
Adv: Containers and packaging can remain intact
Disadv: heat sensitive not suitable
Advantages and Disadvantages of gas sterilants (Ethylene oxide, Nitrous oxide, H2O2)
Adv: Less invasive. Suitable for heat sensitive disinfectants
Disadv: May cause contamination
Advantages and Disadvantages of Lyophilisation
Adv: Stable, Suitable for liquids
Disadv: Expensive, require sterile diluent
Describe Aseptic Process Simulation
Testing for the sterility of the manufacturing process AKA presence of microbes in EVERY step, using a growth medium and usual conditions
Is Aseptic Process Simulation (APS) enough to test the sterility of the product?
NO!
APS is not a Quality Assurance method.
QA method: Conducting sterility testing on the final product
We need BOTH QA and Aseptic Process Simulation (APS), cos APS might not be able to lapses during the manufacturing that can contaminate the final product of the disinfectant
Four types of Aseptic Filtration (what is the Acronym)
MUNRO
Microfiltration
Ultrafiltration
Nanofiltration
Reverse Osmosis
What do the four types of Aseptic Filtration block?
Microfiltration
Block bacteria
Ultrafiltration
Block virus
Nanofiltration
Block multivalent ions
Reverse Osmosis
Block monovalent ions
What can a 0.22 micron sterile filter (used in Aseptic filtration) remove?
Bacteria and moulds
Not all virus or mycoplasma (these need additional heat treatment)
What is Lyophilisation
Lyophilisation is the process of removing water from a product
1) Freeze the water to ice first
2) Placing the ice in a vacuum. Ice will be converted to vapour.
What are the 3 main steps of Lyophilisation?
1) Freezing
2) Sublimation
3) Desorption
When is the endpoint of sublimation
When the temperature of the product starts to rise, that’s when there is no more ice
Why does sublimation occur?
Cos its in vacuum
(From google) What is Desorption? And what does it produce?
Desorption: Removing water that is incorporated into the solid
Water content <1%
What is a product of lyophilisation?
Hygroscopic powders used for vaccines
How long should incubation take when testing for Sterility Assurance Level
14 days