Sterilisation 3 Flashcards

1
Q

What is bioburdence estimation

A

How to estimate the starting population of the organism

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2
Q

what is the importance of bioburdance estimation

A

Initial population numbers required in order to specify sterilization parameters & inactivation kinetics.

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3
Q

definition of bioburdence. how is it found out

A

A population of viable microorganisms on or in a product and / or package’- remember organisms on the package are included

Bioburdance is a multistep process
transfer to lab on site or at other company.
treated to remove the cells from the material without killing them

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4
Q

direct techniques to get bioburdence?

A

contact with culture medium
this is the most ideal
cut a piece then put directly onto culture medium (agar plate)
but this isn’t always possible

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5
Q

explain indirect techniques to get bioburdence?

A

contact with eluent or
physical treatment
transfer to culture medium

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6
Q

in indirect techniques, why might a eluent be needed? what must we be careful of?

A

wash the microbes off

that its not killing the cells

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7
Q

why might detergents be used as an fluent sometimes?

A

to break bonds between MOs and the surface of the product. Must make sure there’s no weak antibacterial activity.

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8
Q

in indirect techniques, when would physical treatments be used? examples

A

if stuck more strongly. This can be in the presence of an eluent. Eg/ shake flask for 10 seconds. Mechanical shakers to be consistent. Or ultrasound to make the cells vibrate. Must be careful about frequency you use and for how long- can kill the cells if not careful.
small beads in mixture and shake- must be correct size

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9
Q

TF: there’s a universal growth medium. meaning?

A

false
some good general purpose media but never one that can allow any bacteria to grow as different bacteria have different nutritional needs
Conditions assessed during validation of a technique

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10
Q

example of a general purpose agar

A

Tryptone soya agar

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11
Q

what does sabaroud dextrose agar allow to grow?

A

yeast and fungi not bacteria

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12
Q

when selecting a growth media we want the _____ CFUs and _____ variety of colonies

A

highest

greatest

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13
Q

are there national standards for bioburdance?

A

no national standards, own in house standards are made. Level that they think is acceptable and as long as the product is below that level.

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14
Q

3 steps of process operation

A

cycle development
Cycle validation- providing proof that the process works- this is KEY
Cycle monitoring- once you’ve got all the evidence, you need to monitor the process to ensure you get the desired end result

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15
Q

what needs to be documented about process validation?

A

evidence that provides a high degree of assurance that a specific process will consistently produce a product meeting its’ pre-determined specifications

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16
Q

process validation steps?

A

installation qualification

performance qualification:

  • physical qualification
  • microbiological qualification
17
Q

what is installation qualification?

A

is the equipment used to get the results working properly

18
Q

what comes under performance qualification?

A

des it do the job we want it to?:

physical qualification is the best method- test the eg/ autoclave and measure conditions eg temperature profiles. Its accurate and consistent.

Microbiological- tends to be used as a backup to support physical Q OR If physical isn’t available

19
Q

example of biological indicators for microbial qualification

A

spore strips- most resistant. put on the product and sterilised to see if there’s any survivors. if you can sterilise the most resistant, it should work on the others

20
Q

point of using biological indicators

A

to provide a means of assessing directly the microbial lethality of a sterilisation process

21
Q

what is needed to test EtO sterilisation. why?

A

Used for validation and monitoring (EtO) sterilisation- used only for EtO as no way to test this one

22
Q

biological indicators are characterised by?

A
  • Strain of test organism
  • Reference to culture collection
  • Manufacturers name
  • Number (10^6) CFUs per test piece
  • D value
  • Z value
  • Recommended storage conditions
  • Expiry date
  • Disposal instructions
23
Q

factors governing choice of biological indicators?

A
  • Stability
  • Resistance
  • Non- pathogenic
  • Recovery- of any surviving spores- to provide proof that the process hasn’t worked
24
Q

recommended test biological indicators for filtration techniques?

A

Brevundimonas diminuta

25
Q

recommended test biological indicators for moist heat techniques?

A

Bacillus stearothermophilus

26
Q

recommended test biological indicators for dry heat techniques?

A

Bacillus subtilus

27
Q

recommended test biological indicators for irradiation techniques?

A

Bacillus pumilus

28
Q

recommended test biological indicators for EtO techniques?

A

Bacillus subtilus

29
Q

what is preferred over aseptic processing?

A

sterilisation of product in the final container

30
Q

what sterilisation technique do we ideally want to use

A

heat