What is the difference between disinfection and sterilization?

The difference between sterilization and disinfection

1. First, the level of processing required by the two is different.

Disinfection only requires the killing or removal of pathogenic microorganisms, so that the number is reduced to no longer cause human disease. Sterilization requires not only the killing or removal of pathogenic microorganisms, but also the killing or/and removal of all microorganisms, including non-pathogenic microorganisms. In short, disinfection only requires the location and the item to reach a level of harmlessness, while sterilization requires that no live bacteria be present.

2. Second, the treatment methods used by the two are different.

Sterilization is more demanding and more difficult to handle than disinfection. Sterilization must use physical methods or chemical sterilizing agents that can kill the most resistant microorganisms (bacterial spores), and disinfection requires only physical methods, chemical disinfectants or biological disinfectants with certain bactericidal efficacy. The use of a sterilized treatment method for disinfection is not only unnecessary for killing a chicken knives, but also produces side effects that may not occur; and if the sterilization treatment is used for sterilization, sterilization failure will result.

3. Finally, the application site is different from the processed items.

Sterilization is mainly used to treat medical supplies entering the human body's sterile tissues and organs and industrial products that require sterilization. It is used for the treatment of daily life and workplace items, and is also used for the treatment of general places and objects in hospitals.