Final answer:
When all microbial bacteria has been destroyed, the area is now called sterilized. Sterilization represents the complete removal of all forms of microbes, including bacteria, viruses, and endospores, and is a practice commonly required in settings such as laboratories, hospitals, and the food industry that need areas to be entirely free of microorganisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sterilization is the process through which all microbial bacteria are destroyed, including the hard-to-kill endospores and viruses. Once this level of cleanliness is reached, the area or item is described as sterilized. This state is beyond clean or disinfected; it is entirely devoid of microorganisms and is typically reserved for environments requiring extreme microbial control, such as laboratory, medical, and food production settings. In contrast, disinfection targets the reduction of organisms to safe levels rather than their complete elimination, and although it may use sterilants, it does not always result in sterilization.
To control the growth of microbes, chemical or physical methods can be utilized, including the use of heat, pressure, or chemical disinfectants. The most stringent method, sterilization, is often achieved using sterilants, which are capable of killing all forms of microbial life, including resistant forms like bacterial spores. However, it's important to distinguish this from sanitization and the use of antiseptics, which are suitable for application on living tissues to prevent infection.
In summary, when an area or item is completely free from all microbial bacteria after a sterilization process, it is referred to as being sterilized and this is the option that corresponds to the total destruction of all microbial life, as described in the question provided by the student.