Refers to the use of physical or chemical methods to kill all pathogenic microorganisms on an object or in a medium, without necessarily killing spores. Through disinfection, the spread of pathogenic microorganisms can be prevented.

Sterilization

Refers to the use of physical and chemical methods to kill all microorganisms on an object or in a medium, including all pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms, as well as bacterial spores.

Bacteriostasis

Refers to the use of physical and chemical factors to inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms; the bacteria generally do not die, but spoilage of articles can be prevented. It is also called antisepsis.

Asepsis

Refers to being free of all living bacteria.

Disinfectant

An agent that can kill vegetative bacteria, some fungi, and viruses, but cannot kill bacterial spores.

[Reference] Microorganisms are extremely susceptible to environmental conditions. Under suitable environmental conditions, microorganisms can grow and reproduce normally; if the environmental conditions are unsuitable, microorganisms will mutate; but if the environmental conditions exceed a certain limit, the growth of microorganisms will be inhibited, or they may even die. The factors affecting the growth and reproduction of microorganisms can be divided into three aspects: physical, chemical, and biological.

[Reference] Aseptic operation is mainly intended to prevent microorganisms from the external environment from contaminating the objects being worked on, while also preventing microorganisms from those objects from contaminating the environment or infecting the human body. The apparatus and materials used for aseptic operations must be sterilized.

[Reference] Relying solely on chemical agents to kill bacteria has a limited effect in controlling infection, and may produce drug-resistant strains, disrupt the normal flora of the environment, and cause serious chemical residues. For this reason, Part 7 of the German standard DIN58948 stipulates that whenever chemical methods are used for disinfection and sterilization, proper measures must be taken to eliminate harmful residues.