Final answer:
Disinfection involves reducing the number of microorganisms to a safe level using chemicals or heat, while sterilization is the complete elimination of all microbial life, including endospores, using more extreme methods.
Step-by-step explanation:
Difference Between Disinfection and Sterilization
The student is seeking to understand the difference between disinfection and sterilization. Disinfection is a process that reduces the number of microorganisms to a safe level but does not eliminate all of them, especially endospores. Chemical disinfectants like chlorine bleach, or physical methods like heat, can be utilized to disinfect surfaces and equipment to prevent the transmission of diseases. However, despite its effectiveness, typical disinfection does not result in sterilization because it cannot destroy all microbial life, including resistant forms such as endospores.
On the other hand, sterilization is a more rigorous process that entails the complete removal or killing of all vegetative cells, endospores, and viruses. It is accomplished using methods like high heat, pressure, or filtration, or chemical means like using sterilants. This procedure is essential in medical and food industry settings, where exposure to any potential infectious agents must be eliminated.
Understanding the principles of microbial control, including the gradation of cleanliness required depending on the object's use in a clinical setting, is important. Disinfectants and antiseptics are vital in this process, differing in their use on inanimate objects vs. living tissues, respectively, and in their effectiveness against different types of microbes.
the correct option is c) The process of cleaning surfaces without killing microorganisms