disinfection

disinfection

[dis′infek′shən]

the process of killing pathogenic organisms or rendering them inert.

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disinfection,

n the process of destroying pathogenic organisms or rendering them inert.

disinfection, full oral cavity,

n a procedure used to reduce active periodontal disease, usually completed within a certain short time frame.

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disinfection

the act of disinfecting.

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terminal disinfection

disinfection of a loose box or cage and its contents at the termination of a disease.

disinfection time

the time required for a disinfectant to achieve its maximum effect. It is influenced by the material being disinfected, the agent's targets and potency of the disinfectant.

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disinfection

The process or act of destroying pathogenic microorganisms. However, certain bacterial spores may survive and germinate which could lead to contamination. See antiseptic; sterilization; surfactant.
chemical disinfection A method of disinfecting soft contact lenses, using solutions containing either a preservative or hydrogen peroxide. Preservatives include chlorhexidine, thimerosal (very rarely used nowadays) and more commonly nowadays the preservatives with larger molecules which cannot penetrate into the lens matrix of soft contact lenses, such as the biguanide polyhexanide (polyaminopropyl biguanide or polyhexamethylene biguanide). Hydrogen peroxide has a broad-spectrum efficacy against bacteria, fungi and viruses. It must, however, be neutralized before the lens can be worn. Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are disinfected with a preservative such as chlorhexidine, benzalkonium chloride, polyhexanide and polixetonium chloride. Failure to disinfect contact lenses may lead to microbial keratitis. Disinfectants for contact lenses have to pass FDA and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) tests to be approved. They must be effective against three specific bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Serratia marcescens) and two fungi (Candida albicans and Fusarium solani). See neutralization.
heat disinfection A method of disinfecting soft contact lenses, based on heating the lens to a temperature of at least 80º for 10 minutes. This is achieved in specially manufactured heating units in which the lenses are kept in physiological saline solution. However, repeated boiling of soft lenses may cause some degradation of the lens material, and tear mucoproteins that have not been previously removed with a surface cleaning agent tend to become coagulated on the lens surface.