Controlling Microorganisms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to controlling microorganisms.

Sterilization

Process that destroys or removes all viable microorganisms, including viruses.

Disinfection

Process that destroys vegetative pathogens but not bacterial endospores.

Decontamination/Sanitization

Cleansing technique that mechanically removes microorganisms and other debris to reduce contamination to safe levels.

Antisepsis/Degermation

Reduces the number of microbes on human skin, involving scrubbing or immersing in chemicals.

Bactericide

Chemical that destroys bacteria except for those in the endospore stage.

Fungicide

Chemical that can kill fungal spores, hyphae, and yeasts.

Virucide

Chemical known to inactivate viruses, especially on living tissue.

Sporicide

Agent capable of destroying bacterial endospores.

Sepsis

Growth of microorganisms in the blood and other tissues.

Asepsis

Practice that prevents the entry of infectious agents into sterile tissues.

Microbistasis

State in which microbes are temporarily prevented from multiplying but are not killed outright.

Critical devices

Medical devices expected to come into contact with sterile tissues and must be sterilized before use.

Semicritical devices

Devices that come into contact with mucosal membranes and require high-level disinfection.

Noncritical items

Items that do not touch the patient or only touch intact skin and require low-level disinfection.

Thermal Death Time (TDT)

Shortest length of time required to kill all test microbes at a specified temperature.

Thermal Death Point (TDP)

Lowest temperature required to kill all microbes in a sample in 10 minutes.

Lyophilization

Method of preserving microorganisms and other cells in a viable state by freezing and drying.

Microbicidal

Agents that kill microorganisms.

Microbistatic

Agents that inhibit the growth of microorganisms.