Final answer:
Disinfection is the process that kills disease-causing microorganisms but not all microbial life. It involves using antimicrobial chemicals or heat to inactivate most microbes on a surface.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process that kills disease-causing microorganisms, but not necessarily all microbial life, is called disinfection. This method involves using antimicrobial chemicals or heat to inactivate most microbes on the surface of a fomite. Disinfection does not lead to sterilization because endospores tend to survive even when all vegetative cells have been killed.