Spring 1997 - Article 4

Article Archive | Back To Current Issue

Spring 1997 - Article 4

From The Lab
Biocide Terms

A number of terms are commonly used (and misused) in designating various levels of microbial control. We hear many of them when discussing disinfectants and hand soaps with customers. Below is a list of common terms and a brief definition of each.

Sterilization		leaves an object or surface free of all life forms.
Disinfection		the removal or destruction of pathogens from inanimate objects. Non-pathogenic environmental organism may not be completely eliminated through disinfection.
Antiseptic		a "disinfectant" treatment applied to skin.
Sanitizing		the cleansing of inanimate objects to reduce the microbial count to a safe level.
-cidal		the suffix used to designate a killing treatment. The word's prefix indicates the type of organism affected, such as bacteriocidal or fungicidal.
-static		the suffix used to designate inhibitory treatments, such as bacteriostatic or fungistatic.