Final answer:
A. Sterilization is the process that eliminates all forms of microbial life, including spores, through methods like heat, pressure, and chemicals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process that destroys all microbial life, including spores, is known as A. sterilization.
Sterilization can be achieved through various methods such as high heat, pressure, filtration, or chemical means using sterilants.
It is a critical process particularly in medical and food industry settings to ensure that items are completely free of potentially infectious agents or harmful microbes like Clostridium botulinum endospores.
In contrast, disinfection generally reduces the number of microbes to a level considered safe and is not as comprehensive as sterilization since it may not destroy all endospores.
Another process, known as sanitization, involves cleaning to achieve levels of microbiological cleanliness safe for public health, but without the assurance of complete sterilization.
Activities like washing dishes at high temperatures in commercial dishwashers typically result in sanitation. Additionally, filtration is a physical method that removes microbes from samples rather than killing them.