BIO 3372 Lecture 7: Chapter 7 - Control of Microbial Groeth
Document Summary
Control of microbial growth began 100 years ago following the discovery that microbes causes disease. Lister and semmelweis were the rst to develop microbial control practices - aseptic surgery. Before that time, 10% of surgical deaths and 35% of delivering mother deaths were due to infections. During the american civil war, a surgeon may have cleaned his scalpel on his boot sole between incisions. Sterilization - a process that destroys all living microbes, including viruses and endospores; microbicidal. Commercial sterilization - food is heated enough to destroy endospores of clostridium botulinum - absolute sterility would degrade the food. Complete sterilization may not be required in many settings, such as a fork or drinking glass in a restaurant. Aim: to prevent the spread of possible pathogens. Disinfection - a process to destroy vegetative pathogens (not endospores) or inanimate object. Antisepsis - disinfectant treatment applied to living tissue. Antiseptic - disinfectant applies directly to living tissue.
