What is Antiseptic and Disinfectants

             Antiseptic and Disinfectants

•          Disinfection

Ø   This aims to reduce the number of microorganisms present to a level that is unlikely to cause infection. For practical purposes, disinfection may destroy or inactivate many or all pathogenic microorganisms, but not spores.

Ø   It is important to realise that successful disinfection is very much dependent on the number of microorganisms initially present. Therefore, physical cleaning is an important prerequisite to effective disinfection.

•          Antisepsis

Ø   This term is applied to a process of disinfection on tissue. Only disinfecting agents that are not toxic to the tissue may be used as antiseptic agents.

•               Antiseptic and Disinfectants

Ø    Antiseptic: A substance that counters sepsis by destroying or inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.

Ø   Antiseptics are generally applied to living tissues in the form of wet dressings, creams, ointments or other substances that involve prolonged contact with the body.

Ø   Disinfectant:

An agent that prevents infection by destroying or removing pathogenic microorganisms.

Ø   The term is confined to substances used for the treatment of inanimate objects.

Ø   In practice, both antiseptics and disinfectants are used to destroy or inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms in the vegetative form.