Sterilization and disinfection microbiology is an important technique for cleaning laboratory articles like glassware.
Sterilization defines as, freeing laboratory articles from bacteria, viruses, and fungi including their spores. Spore can be pathogenic or nonpathogenic.
what are the 4 Types of sterilization?
There are 4 types of Sterilization. All these kinds are used for cleaning lab instruments or fluids.
- Sterilization by Heating
- Ionizing radiation
- Filtration method
- Chemical Agents
how to do Sterilization by the Heating method in microbiology
The heating method is an important method in the sterilization process. Two types of heat are used for this purpose. Dry heat other is Moist heat. Dry heat is suitable for paper-wrapped articles that are not spoiled by high temperature and glassware.
Dry heat can not be used for water-containing culture media. Temperature above 100 C under control eliminates all kinds of bacteria and their spores. Method for application of dry heat.
Sterilization by Dry Heat
- Red Heat: Used in inoculating loop, forceps, needle tips
- Flaming: Direct exposure of the article to flames.
- Hot air oven: This method is used for such articles which are heat resistant like tubes, flasks, glass pipettes.
- Infra-Red Radiation:
what is the Purpose of sterilization in microbiology?
All laboratory equipment or instruments become contaminated after performing tests on them. They become a source of the pathogen for laboratory staff.
Therefore, it is necessary for lab staff to sterilize that article before reuse. Therefore mostly autoclave sterilization performed.
what is the difference between Sterilization and disinfection?
Sterilization is used for germ-free the lab articles like a test tube, Petri dish, inoculating loop, etc. It is a completely germ-free state.
While disinfection implies killing the vegetative form of the bacteria, virus, and fungi. Disinfectants are CHEMICALS agents. These chemicals kill bacteria or other pathogens by the destruction of their protein, lipid, and nucleic acid. It is not a germ-free state.