MICROBIAL CONTROL

Control of microbial growth

It means to inhibit or prevent growth of

1. By killing microorganisms
2. By inhibiting the growth of microorganisms
Agents:
• kill cells are called “ cidal” agents
• Inhibit the growth of cells ( without killing
them) are referred to as “static” agents.
Thus,
• Bactericidal- killing of bacteria
• Bacteriostatic- refers to inhibiting the growth
of bacterial cells
 3 Principles Types of Agents used in the
Control of Microbial Growth
1. Physical agents are used exclusively on
objects outside the body;
2. Chemical agents are used on inanimate
objects as well as on the body surface; and
3. Chemotherapeutic agents, which are most
often used inside the living body.
 Physical Control of Pathogenic
Microorganisms
Heat- known as the chief agent used in this type
of control
- The aim of heating is sterilization which is the
complete removal of all life forms. It can be
done in different ways:
1. Direct flame 4. Autoclaving
2. Hot air oven 5. Fractional sterilization
3. Boiling water 6. Pasteurization
7. Flash pasteurization
8. Ultra pasteurization
Direct flame- also known as incineration
a. Often used to sterilize the inoculation loop
and bacteriological needle before removing a
certain sample from a culture tube and after
preparing a smear.
b. The tip of the tube is also flamed in order to
destroy the microbes which may have come
in contact with.
2. Hot air oven
a. Uses dry heat to sterilize items which are
baked at 160 deg. celsius for a period of 2
hours to kill bacterial spores as well as other
microbial structures.
b. This is often used to sterilize dry powders,
oily substances and glassware.
3. Boiling water- moist heat is used to sterilize items
where heat penetrates better because of the
immersion of the whole item in boiling water.
a. However, because waters boiling point is at 100
deg. celsius, it will usually require 2 hours of
exposure for complete bacterial spore
destruction.
b. Moist heat kills microbes by coagulating and
denaturing their proteins.
4. Autoclaving- uses the pressure of steam to
increase the temperature and reduce the length
of time required to fully sterilize an item.
a. The pressure I usually maintained at 15 lb/sq
inch above normal atmospheric pressure and
the water molecules are superheated to at least
121.5 deg. celsius. This allows the moisture to
rapidly conduct heat into the items being
sterilized up to 15 meters.
b. This is often used to sterilize culture media,
glassware, and metal-ware, among others.
5. Fractional sterilization- also called tyndallization
or intermittent sterilization because sterilization is
performed in an on-off manner.
a. Items are first sterilized using free-flowing steam
at 100deg. Celsius for 30 minutes, allowed to
cool overnight to let the bacterial spores
germinate into vegetative cells and then
exposed again to the same steam for 30 minutes
on the second day.
b. The item is then allowed to cool overnight and
sterilized one last time on the 3rd day.
6. Pasteurization- used to reduce the bacterial
population of a liquid such as milk.
a. It involves heating the liquid to about 62.9
deg. celsius for 30 minutes to kill both the
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Q-fever
agents.
7. Flash pasteurization- pasteurization at 71.6
deg. celsius for 15 seconds
8.Ultra pasteurization- pasteurization at 82 deg.
celsius for 3 seconds
9. Hot oil- used by some physicians and dentists
in the sterilization of instruments at 160 deg
celsius for 1 hour.
 Filtration
- It uses a filter
- A mechanical device for removing
microorganisms from a solution. The
organisms are trapped in the pores of the
filter, and the filtrate is decontaminated or
possibly sterilized.
1. inorganic filters
2. organic filters
3. membrane filter
Inorganic filters- examples are Seitz filter which
consists of a pad of asbestos mounted in a
filter flask and porcelain and ground glass.
Organic filters- contain organic molecules that
attract the organic components of the
microorganisms. Eg. Bekerfield filter , which
uses the substance diatomaceous earth
composed of the skeletal remains of marine
alga called diatoms.
Membrane filter
-consists of a pad organic compound such as
cellulose acetate or polycarbonate mounted in
a holding device.
- This method can be used for quantitative
estimation of microbes in a given sample. The
filter pad is put on nutrient culture medium
were cells grow.
Radiation
1. Ultraviolet irradiation- bacteria is often
destroyed by energy wavelength of 100- to
400 nm this is often used to reduce air
contamination.
2. Ionizing Radiation- x-rays and gamma rays
can also be used to destroy bacteria though
the ejection of electrons out of organic
molecules
Ultrasonic Vibration
-involves high frequency sound waves
propagated in fluids to cause microscopic
bubbles. As the bubbles rapidly collapse they
form tiny cavities sending out shockwaves that
rapidly disintegrate microorganisms in the
fluid because of external pressure.
Preservation methods
-Are often employed to control the growth of
microbes on food
1 Drying
2. Salting
3. Low temperatures and freezing
1. Drying- used on meats, cereals, fish, fruits
and other food items
2. Salting- used on syrups, jams, jellies. Based
on the principle of osmotic concentration
and the presence of salt where comes out of
cells because of exosmosis
 Chemical Control of Pathogenic
Microorganisms
Chemical methods of controlling pathogenic
microorganisms involve the removal the
microorganisms from an object or body part.
Unlike physical methods, these methods rarely
achieve sterilization. Rather , chemical methods
achieve a state of disinfection.
1. Disinfectant- a chemical growth that removes
microorganisms from an inanimate object.
2. Antiseptic -a chemical agent that removes
microorganisms from a living object such as a
body tissue.
The effectiveness of chemical agents is based
on its phenol coefficient which indicates the
ability of the agent as compared to phenol
under similar conditions. A phenol coefficient
that is higher than 1.0 indicates that the
chemical agent is more effective than phenol.
 Phenol
–are the standard disinfectants especially useful
against Gram + bacteria. These agents
coagulate bacterial proteins, especially the
bacterial cell membrane enzymes.
Halogens
a. chlorine –used for water treatment facilities
b. iodine
 Heavy metals
Such as silver, mercury, and copper control
microorganisms, merthiolate, and metaphen in
combination with organic carrier molecules to reduce its
toxicity to the skin.
Copper- often used in the control of algae as Copper sulfate
in swimming pools and water supply facilities.
Silver nitrate – is used both as a antiseptic and disinfectant.
-One drop is indicated among newborns to protect against
Neisseria gonorrhea.
It can also be combined with certain antibiotics in the
management of burns
 Alcohol
- Is an effective antiseptic applied on the skin. It
may come as ethyl alcohol, proropyl, butyl,
and pentyl alcohol.
- Ethanol acts on vegetative bacterial cells as a
strong dehydrating agent.
- 70% ethyl alcohol is often used as antiseptic
 Hydrogen peroxide
- is used in rinsing wounds, scrapes and abrasions
Soaps and Detergents
- The pH of mot soap is 8.0 which destroys some
bacteria that are susceptible to alkali solutions.
- Soap is also used for the mechanical washing of
the skin surface.
Detergents- are synthetic chemicals developed for
their ability to be strong wetting agents and
surface tension reducers.
 Dyes
Tryphenyl methane dyes
-are often used as antiseptic especially against Bacillus
and Staphylococcus species.
- In higher concentrations it is effective against
Salmonella typhi.
- This include malachite green and crystal violet or
gentian violet used for trench mouth gonococcal and
staphyloccocal infections.
- The action of dyes involves direct combination with
bacterial DNA and the inhibition of bacterial RNA
synthesis
 Acids
-most commonly used acids:
Benzoic acid
Salicylic acid
Undecylic acid- for the tinea infections in the
skin
Lactic acid -are used as food preservatives
 Surgical and Medical Asepsis
Aseptic technique
Asepsis- is the condition of being free from
disease-producing microorganism
Aseptic technique- implies all those procedures
that reduce or eliminate pathogens and their
actions or minimize their areas of existence
- Consist of a series of events to guard the
patient against infection
Aseptic technique - is used to reduce the direct
or indirect transfer of germs to any surface,
article, or person as in the ff. circumstances:
1. With traumatic wounds ( applying a dressing)
2. In administration and preparations by
injection or infusion
3. In surgery
Simple activities to carry out aseptic technique:
1. Keep hands clean
2. Ensuring that all sterile items are kept free
from all organisms (dressings, needles,
instruments)
3. Keeping from breathing, coughing or
sneezing on wounds or sterile items
 Medical Asepsis or Aseptic Technique
-Includes all of the procedures used to protect the
patient and his environment from the spread of
infectious organisms.
-is based on maintaining cleanliness to prevent the
spread of pathogenic microorganisms and to
ensure that the environment is free from
microbes as much as possible.
-involves limiting microbes to specific areas and
rendering object as either clean or dirty
 Principles governing the practice of medical asepsis:
1. Wash hands frequently
- Before handling food
- Before eating
- After using a handkerchief
- After going to the toilet
- Before and after each client contact
- After removing gloves
2. Keep soiled items and equipment from touching the clothing
3. Do not place soiled bed linen or any other items
onto the floor.
4. Avoid having clients cough, sneeze, or breath
directly on others
5. Move equipment away from you when brushing,
dusting, or scrubbing articles.
6. Avoid raising dust.
7. Clean the east soiled areas first then move to
more soiled ones.
8. Dispose of soiled or used items directly into the
drain in order to avoid splatter in the sink and
onto you.
9. Avoid leaning against sinks, supplies or
equipment
10. Avoid touching your eyes, face, nose , mouth
11. Use practices of personal grooming that help
prevent spreading microorganisms
12. Follow guidelines conscientiously for isolation
or barrier techniques as prescribed by agency
 Basic Procedures of Medical Asepsis:
(to avoid nosocomial -hospital acquired infections
and cross infections -transmitted between
individuals with different pathogens)
1. Perform patient care hand wash.
2. Disinfect materials as required.
3. Maintain clean patient care environment
4. Use clean and dirty utility rooms
5. Store and handle linen properly
6. Store and handle equipment and supplies properly
7. Dispose of waste materials:
a. Uncontaminated trash-requires no special handling
b. Contaminated trash- those contaminated with
bodily secretions and / or excretions of the patient;
use sealed bag
c. Excretions- clean bedpans and urinals after each
use
8. Follow specific isolation techniques for patients with
communicable dse.
 Sterile Technique
-Refers to the way sterile materials are handled
in order to keep them free of living
microorganisms.
 3 Rules as Basis of the Sterile Technique
1. An article is either sterile or contaminated.
2. A sterile article that has been touched by a
contaminated article is no longer sterile.
3. Any sterile article that has become
unintentionally wet or damp is no longer
sterile.
 Principles of surgical asepsis:
1. Only a sterile object can touch another sterile object.
2. Open sterile packages so that the first edge of the
wrapper is directed away from the worker in order to
avoid the possibility of a sterile wrapper touching
unsterile clothing
3. Avoid spilling any solutions on a cloth or paper used as a
field for a sterile set up
4. Hold sterile objects above the level of the waist.
5. Avoid talking, coughing, sneezing or reaching over a sterile
field or object
6. Never walk away from or turn your back on a sterile field
7. All items brought into contact with broken skin
or used to penetrate the skin in order to inject
substances into the body, or enter normally
sterile body cavities, should be sterile.
8. Use dry sterile forceps when necessary.
9. Consider the edge of a sterile field to be
contaminated.
10. Consider an object contaminated if you have
any doubt as to its sterility.
 Antimicrobial Agents in Therapy
Antimicrobial agents
-are chemicals that eliminate pathogenic
microorganisms in man.
Different Drug classes of antibacterial agents in
the management of bacterial infections:
1. Aminoglycosides 7. Tetracyclines
2. Cephalosporins 8. Other antibacterials
3. Macrolides
4. Penicillins
5. Quinolones
6. Sufonamides
1. Aminoglycosides- kill bacteria through the inhibition
of bacterial protein synthesis.
a. Used against gram (-) microorganisms that produce
urinary tract infections, meningitis, wound infections
and life-threatening septicemias
b. Standard of treatment for nosocomial Gram (-)
infections due to acinetobacter, Citrobacter,
Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Providencia,
Pseudomonas, Salmonella and Shigella species.
c. Agents- amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin,
netilmicin, streptomycin, and tobramycin