Final answer:
Sanitization is the correct method for lowering microbial counts on utensils to safe levels, antiseptic is used on tissues for preventing infection, and filtration is a microbial control method that physically removes microbes from samples without killing them.
Step-by-step explanation:
The treatment intended to lower microbial counts on eating and drinking utensils to safe public health levels is sanitization. Sanitization is the process of making something sanitary by reducing the number of microbial contaminants to acceptable levels as determined by public health standards. Commercial dishwashers, for example, often use very hot water and air for washing and drying, which sanitizes the dishes by killing most microbes.
The suitable option for use on tissues for microbial control to prevent infection is antiseptic. Antiseptics are antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction.
When it comes to microbial control methods that do not kill microbes but instead physically remove them from samples, the correct answer is filtration. Filtration involves the physical removal of microbes without necessarily killing them.