Name: Aira Shane C.

Marges
Course/Year: BSN 2
Assignment #:
Date: 01/11/21

“Destruction and Control of Microbial Life”

1. Define the following terms: sterilization, disinfection, decontamination, static, and
cidal, disinfectant, antiseptic, and sanitizer.
• Sterilization- Sterilization may be defined as the statistically complete
destruction of all microorganisms including the most resistant bacteria
and spores. Sterilization may be defined as the statistically complete
destruction of all microorganisms including the most resistant bacteria and
spores.
• Disinfection- Disinfection is a process that reduces the number of
microorganisms to a level at which they do not present a risk to patients or
clients. It is only effective if surfaces and equipment have been cleaned
thoroughly with detergent and water beforehand.
• Decontamination- is the process of removing contaminants on an object
or area, including chemicals, micro-organisms or radioactive substances.
This may be achieved by chemical reaction, disinfection or physical removal.
• Static- A bacteriostatic (“static”) antibiotic is one that prevents the organism
multiplying but it is the patient's own immune system which kills off the
bacteria and leads to recovery from the infection.
• Cidal- indicating killing, as in bacteriocidal (capable of killing bacteria) and
in suicidal (the killing of oneself).
• Disinfectant- is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or
destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces.
• Antiseptic- An antiseptic is a substance that stops or slows down the
growth of microorganisms. They're frequently used in hospitals and other
medical settings to reduce the risk of infection during surgery and other
procedures.
• Sanitizer- Sanitizers are used to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate,
microorganisms from the inanimate environment to levels considered safe as
determined by public health codes or regulations.

2. State why chemical agents are usually unreliable for sterilization.

- Chemical agents do not destroy spores and do not kill all viruses.
3. List five factors that may influence the antimicrobial action of disinfectants,
antiseptics, and sanitizers.
• The concentration of the chemical agent.
• Temperature.
Name: Aira Shane C. Marges
Course/Year: BSN 2
Assignment #:
Date: 01/11/21
• kinds of microorganisms.
• number of microorganisms.
• nature of the material bearing the microorganisms.

4. Describe two modes of action of disinfectants, antiseptics, and sanitizers, i.e.,

how they harm the microorganisms.
• damage semipermeable cytoplasmic membrane causing leakage of
cellular materials
• denature microbial enzymes and other proteins blocking metabolism

5. State whether moist or dry heat is more effective in controlling microorganisms,

and indicate why.
- Moist heat is generally more effective than dry heat for killing
microorganisms because of its ability to penetrate microbial cells. Moist
heat kills microorganisms by denaturing their proteins (causes proteins and
enzymes to lose their three-dimensional functional shape).

6. State specifically how moist heat kills microorganisms.

- It denatures their proteins and may also melt lipids in the cytoplasmic
membranes.

7. State two methods of applying moist heat.

- Autoclaving and boiling water

8. Briefly describe the process of autoclaving (pressure, time, and temperature).

- It employees steam and pressure. Materials are placed under 15
pounds/square inch of pressure. Boiling point of water is raised to 121
degrees C. Sufficient time to sterilize with autoclave is 15-45 minutes,
depending upon the nature and amount being sterilized.

9. State whether or not boiling is an effective means of sterilization, and indicate

why. (no haha char lang)
- Boiling is not an effective means of sterilization because certain viruses such
as hepatitis and organisms such as Clostridium and Bacillus may survive
even hours of boiling.

10. State specifically how dry heat kills microorganisms.

- Dry heat kills microorganisms through protein oxidation. Temperature and
time employed by dry heat depend on a particular method. They are greater
than with moist heat. Incineration kills microorganisms by direct exposure to
intense heat which reduces microbes to ash and gas. Hot air ovens heat
microorganisms for 12 minutes to 4 hours at 150-180 degrees C. (Talaro &
Chess, 2012).
Name: Aira Shane C. Marges
Course/Year: BSN 2
Assignment #:
Date: 01/11/21
11. State two methods of applying dry heat.
- Hot air sterilization and incineration

12. Define pasteurization.

- Mild heating of milk and other materials to kill particular spoilage organisms or
pathogens. Does not kill all organisms.

13. State whether low temperature has a static or cidal effect on microorganisms,
and indicate why.
- It has a static effect because it only inhibits microbial growth by slowing down
microbial metabolism.

14. State whether desiccation has a static or a cidal effect on microorganisms, and
indicate how it affects the cell.
- generally has a static effect on microorganisms. Lack of water inhibits the
action of microbial enzymes.

15. Describe osmosis in terms of water flow through a semipermeable membrane.

- Water tends to flow through semipermeable membranes, such as the
cytoplasmic membrane of microorganisms, towards the side with a higher
concentration of dissolved materials (solute).

16. Describe how bacterial growth is inhibited in jams and salt-cured meats.
- inhibits bacterial growth through hypertonicity

17. State why jams still must be sealed even though bacteria will not grow in them.
- tend to become overgrown with molds unless they are first sealed to exclude
oxygen because molds are more tolerant of hypertonicity.

18. State how the wavelength and the length of exposure influence the bacteriocidal
effect of UV light.
- the longer the exposure the greater the cidal activity. It also depends on the
wavelength of UV used. The most cidal wavelengths of UV light lie in the 260
nm - 270 nm range where it is absorbed by nucleic acid.

19. Describe specifically how UV light kills microorganisms.

- UV light is absorbed by microbial DNA and causes adjacent thymine bases
on the same DNA strand to covalently bond together, forming what are called
thymine-thymine dimers. As the DNA replicates, nucleotides do not
complementary base pair with the thymine dimers and this terminates the
replication of that DNA strand.
Name: Aira Shane C. Marges
Course/Year: BSN 2
Assignment #:
Date: 01/11/21
20. State why UV light is only useful as a means of controlling surface contaminants.
- it has very poor penetrating power only microorganisms on the surface of a
material that are exposed directly to the radiation are susceptible to
destruction. Aseptic filling rooms of pharmaceutical companies, in
microbiological hoods, and in the processing equipment used by the food and
dairy industries.

21. Describe how ionizing radiation kills microorganisms and state several common
applications.
- It ionizes water and other molecules to form radicals (molecular fragments
with unpaired electrons) that can disrupt DNA molecules and proteins. It is
often used to sterilize pharmaceuticals and disposable medical supplies such
as syringes, surgical gloves, catheters, sutures, and petri plates.