Disinfect
Disinfect
Disinfect (pronunciation: /dɪsɪnˈfɛkt/) is a term used in medicine and public health to describe the process of eliminating or reducing harmful microorganisms from an object or surface.
Etymology
The term "disinfect" originates from the Latin words "dis" meaning "away" and "infectus" meaning "to infect". It was first used in English in the mid-17th century.
Definition
To disinfect is to clean something, especially with a chemical, in order to destroy bacteria or viruses and prevent them from spreading. This is a crucial step in infection control practices in various settings such as hospitals, homes, and workplaces.
Related Terms
- Antiseptic: A substance that inhibits the growth and development of microorganisms. For practical purposes, antiseptics are routinely thought of as topical agents, for application to skin, mucous membranes, and inanimate objects, although a formal definition includes agents that are used internally, such as the urinary tract disinfectants.
- Sterilization (microbiology): A term referring to any process that eliminates, removes, kills, or deactivates all forms of life (in particular referring to microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, spores, unicellular eukaryotic organisms such as Plasmodium, etc.) and other biological agents like prions present in a specific surface, object or fluid, for example food or biological culture media.
- Sanitization: The process of making something sanitary (free of elements such as bacteria or other pathogens) as by sterilizing.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Disinfect
- Wikipedia's article - Disinfect
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