Final answer:
Sanitizing involves a soaking or wiping process that reduces the number of microbes to safe levels. Disinfection inactivates most microbes but does not achieve sterilization, while antiseptics are safe for living tissues. Sterilization eliminates all microbes, including endospores and viruses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer to the question that involves a soaking or wiping process and inhibits the activity of disease-causing organisms is sanitizing. Sanitization refers to the process of cleansing to reduce the number of microbes on fomites to safe levels. This contrasts with disinfection, which inactivates most microbes on the surface of a fomite using antimicrobial chemicals or heat but does not achieve sterilization. Antiseptics are chemicals safe for use on living tissues to control microbial growth and prevent infection. An example of antiseptic is isopropyl alcohol. Sterilization, on the other hand, is the most extreme protocol aiming to achieve the complete removal or killing of all microbes, including endospores and viruses.
Concerning the other question about which of the following is suitable for use on tissues for microbial control to prevent infection, the answer is B. antiseptic. Antiseptics are specifically designed to be safe for application on living tissue to prevent infection and microbial growth.