

Low level disinfectant means a disinfectant that rapidly kills most vegetative bacteria as well as medium-sized lipid containing viruses, when used according to labelling. Sterilant gases are not within this scope. A sterilant kills all micro-organisms with the result that the sterility assurance level of a microbial survivor is less than 10^-6. Sterilant means a chemical agent which is used to sterilize critical medical devices or medical instruments.

54 defines several grades of disinfectant as will be used below. The Australian Therapeutic Goods Order No. īacterial endospores are most resistant to disinfectants, but some fungi, viruses and bacteria also possess some resistance. Sanitizers are mild compared to disinfectants and are used majorly to clean things that are in human contact whereas disinfectants are concentrated and are used to clean surfaces like floors and building premises. Disinfectants are frequently used in hospitals, dental surgeries, kitchens, and bathrooms to kill infectious organisms. Disinfectants kill more germs than sanitizers. Sanitizers are substances that simultaneously clean and disinfect.
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ĭisinfectants can also be used to destroy microorganisms on the skin and mucous membrane, as in the medical dictionary historically the word simply meant that it destroys microbes.

It is also a form of decontamination, and can be defined as the process whereby physical or chemical methods are used to reduce the amount of pathogenic microorganisms on a surface. Disinfectants are also different from biocides-the latter are intended to destroy all forms of life, not just microorganisms.ĭisinfectants work by destroying the cell wall of microbes or interfering with their metabolism.

Disinfectants are generally distinguished from other antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics, which destroy microorganisms within the body, and antiseptics, which destroy microorganisms on living tissue. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores it is less effective than sterilization, which is an extreme physical or chemical process that kills all types of life. Levels of resistance of microbes to disinfectants.Ī disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces.
