| Author: |
GERALD E. McDONNELL
|
| Publisher: | ASM Press |
| ISBN No: | 978-1555-81967-5 |
| Release at: | 2017 |
| Pages: | 433 |
| Edition: |
Second Edition
|
| File Size: | 18 MB |
| File Type: | |
| Language: | English |
Description of Antisepsis, Disinfection, and Sterilization
The control of microorganisms and microbial growth is an important consideration in medical, veterinary, dental, industrial, pharmaceutical, environmental, and food processing settings. This book has been developed to provide a basic understanding of the various chemical and physical antisepsis, disinfection, and sterilization methods used for infection prevention and contamination control. Disinfection and sterilization technologies are used for the control of microorganisms on surfaces, in products, or in air, while antisepsis is particularly associated with microbial reduction on the skin or mucous membranes. Many of these applications have been used over many years and continue to play important roles in our daily lives, including the provision of safe drinking water, production and preservation of products, laboratory safety, food safety, sterilization of medical devices, and disinfection of critical surfaces. The benefits of microbial control have been appreciated since ancient times—for example, in the use of heating, salts, and metals for preservation and wound treatment—despite the absence in those times of any pure understanding of microbiology.
Over the last 160 years, we have gained a greater appreciation of microorganisms and their roles in contamination and infection. In parallel, various chemical and physical antisepsis, disinfection, and sterilization methods have been developed and are widely used to render surfaces and products safe for use. Despite these advancements, microbial control issues continue to challenge us. Notable examples include controlling the risk of virus transmission in outbreaks of Zika virus, Ebola virus, and noroviruses; medical device contamination associated with health care outbreaks of infection (such as with flexible endoscopes); the emerging concerns with unique infectious agents (such as prions or other transmissible proteinaceous agents); and the continuing concern of anti-infective (including antibiotic)-resistant microorganisms in hospitals and the general community. As our knowledge increases in microbiology, so does our understanding of the novel ways that microorganisms can present with mechanisms of surviving the many broad-spectrum contamination control technology that we use, including chemical and physical disinfection and sterilization methods.
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