Lab.

2
• Sterilization:
Killing or removing all forms of microbial life (including
endospores) in a material or an object.

• Disinfection:
Reducing the number of pathogenic microorganisms to the
point where they no longer cause diseases.

• Disinfectant: Applied to inanimate objects.

• Antiseptic: Applied to living tissue (antisepsis).
 Certain locations & situations must be
sterile
Microorganisms are present everywhere. They can cause contamination,
infection and decay. It become important therefore destroy them in
certain situations:-

1. In operation theaters.
2. In wound dressings and nursing.
3. In collection of sample for culture.
4. In preparation of culture media-
5. Food and drug manufactures.
6. Vaccine preparation.
 Methods of sterilization
A- Physical methods:

1- Sunlight:
• Sunlight has a bactericidal effect due to a
combination of ultraviolet rays and the heat rays.
It is the natural method of sterilization in tanks,
rivers and lakes. Example, typhoid bacteria
exposed to the sun were killed in two hours where
as controls kept in the dark were still alive after six
days.
2- Heat.
A- Dry heat.
1. Red heat- it is used to
sterilize metallic objects by
holding them in flame till they
are red hot, e.g. inoculating
loops or wires, needles,
forceps.

2. Flaming- the article is

passed over flame without
allowing it to become red hot,
e.g. mouth of culture tubes,
flasks, cotton wool plugs and
glass slide.
3. Incineration- it is an excellent
method for rapidly destroying
material such as contaminated
dressing, bedding and pathological
material by burning them.

4. Hot air oven- sterilization by hot

air oven requires temperature of
160°C for 1hour. We can sterilize all
glass syringes, Petri dishes, test tubes,
flasks, pipettes, scissors, liquid .
B- Moist heat

1. Temperature below 100°C.

Pasteurization of milk, temperature employed is either 63°C
for 30 minutes or 72°C for 15-20 minutes. This is followed by
cooling quickly to 13°C or lower. Organisms like
mycobacterium and salmonellae are killed.

2. Temperature at 100°C.
a- Boiling. For needles and instruments boiling in water for
10 to 30 minutes is sufficient to sterilize them.

b- Tyndallization.
This is the process by which medium is placed at 100°C in
flowing steam for 30 minutes each on 3 successive days.
3. Temperature above 100°C.(Autoclave)

It is an instrument used for

sterilization used for Sterilization
e.g. (glass,metals, clothes,
liquids.etc)
• Sterilization conditions of
Autoclave:
Temperature= 121 0C
Pressure = 15 psi
Time= 15-20 min.
 3- Filtration:
Filtration: Removal of microbes by passage of a liquid
through a screen like material with small pores. Used to
sterilize heat sensitive materials like vaccines, enzymes,
antibiotics, and some culture media.
4- Radiation:
1. Ionizing Radiation:
Gamma rays, X rays, electron beams, or higher energy
rays.
• Used to sterilize pharmaceuticals and disposable
medical supplies.
2. Nonionizing Radiation:
A- Infra-red radiation is used for mass sterilization of
syringes.
B-Ultraviolet radiation
Used to disinfect operating rooms, nurseries,
cafeterias. Entryways, hospital wards, virus
inoculation rooms and virus laboratories
B- Chemical method.

1-Alcohol Ethanol is widely used to clean the skin

before immunization or venipuncture.
2-Detergents and soap
3- Phenols Exa. Chlorophenol, Naphthol, Salicylic acid,
Bisphenol A.
4- Chlorine : is used as a disinfectant to purify the water
supply and to treat swimming pools.
5- Iodine iodine is the most effective skin antiseptic used
in medical practice and should be used prior to obtaining
a blood culture and installing intravenous catheters.
6- Heavy Metals: copper, selenium, mercury, silver, and zinc.
7- Hydrogen peroxide (Oxidizing agents) to clean
wounds and to disinfect contact lenses.
8- Formaldehyde & Glutaraldehyde used to inactivate
virus to make vaccines and to sterilize respiratory
therapy equipment respectively.
9- Acids and alkalis. used in clinical laboratory to liquefy
sputum prior to culturing the organism