Antiseptics and disinfectants Essay

The higher the concentration of antiseptic, the more powerful it will be at inhibiting/ killing microorganisms which cause bacterial growth. ” This theory supports my result because as you can see the zone of inhibition increases due to the increasing concentration of antiseptic.

The higher concentration of antiseptic means it has been less diluted, which means its more stronger than other more diluted concentrations, this high concentration will determine how powerful the antiseptic will be at killing/inhibiting the growth of bacterium, this high concentration of antiseptic will break down the bacterial cell wall, after this process has happened the antiseptic can stop the mutation of the bacteria and inhibit the growth of the bacteria or kill the bacteria.

As you can see from my results the higher amount of antiseptic agent present in the ajar jelly, the more powerful it will be at destroying the bacterial cell wall, that is why with the increasing concentration of antiseptic the zone of inhibition increases because the high dose of concentration is attacking the bacteria, hence inhibiting a larger zone of inhibition.

On the other hand decreasing the concentration of antiseptic reduces the effect of destroying the bacterium; the weaker the concentration is the less powerful it is at attacking the cell wall of the bacteria.

As you can see from my results at the point of 10 percent concentration the smallest zone of inhibition is present this is because the weaker concentration wasn’t strong enough to attack enough of the bacteria in the ajar jelly, so a smaller zone of inhibition became present. During incubation, the chemical diffuses from the disk containing the agent into the surrounding agar; my weaker concentration also wasn’t able to diffuse as well as a higher concentration.

Another factor is that my higher concentration wasn’t diluted as much as much as my lower concentration, which means that the water neutralised some of the powerful chemicals in the lower concentration of antiseptic, which were lethal for destroying some of the bacterial agents. 6a) Use of the proper concentration of a disinfectant is important to Achieve the best results for each situation. Some products will have different dilutions Depending on the desired use of the product.

Although some Disinfectants may be more efficacious at higher concentrations, However, over-dilution of a product may render the disinfectant ineffective to the target of destroying the Microorganisms. The product label will list the best concentration to use for each situation. Be sure to consider any standing water or other water sources (i. e. , rainfall) in the area as a Potential dilution source for a disinfectant. (http://www. fsph. iastate. edu/Disinfection/Assets/Disinfection101. pdf)

Overall it is important to follow rules while diluting disinfectants E. g. : A label on a bottle of concentrated disinfectant states that it shouldn’t be diluted less than 25%, if these rules aren’t followed then the antiseptic won’t be able to work to its full length or not work at all, because the water neutralises most of the chemicals that destroy the bacterial substances. b) Antiseptics are more suitable for cleaning hands rather than disinfectants because disinfectants are meant to destroy microorganisms which can infect non-living objects, whilst antiseptics are used on living tissues and cells to destroy any type of infections or sepsis which may be living on the tissue, that is why antiseptics are used in hand sanitizers to clean hands rather than disinfectants. www. diffrencebetween. net/science/health(4)

Some people differ between using antibiotics or antiseptics for hand washing, antibiotics and antiseptics are both chemicals that prevent the growth and development of bacteria, but antibiotics are effective only again bacteria whilst antiseptics act on a wide range of microorganisms, making antiseptics more suitable for hand sanitizers. www. 5) Antiseptics are chemical agents that slow or stop the growth of micro-organisms (germs) on external surfaces of the body, that is why they are suitable to use on the skin as they are designed for that pacific reason to stop bacterial growth or any other microorganisms from spreading or causing infection on the skin and external surfaces on the body.

Antiseptics should be distinguished from antibiotics that destroy micro-organisms inside the body, and from disinfectants, which destroy micro-organisms found on inanimate (non-living) objects. Antibiotics and disinfectant are designed for other reasons as you can see and contain some different chemical agents that maybe harsh on the human skin so that is why disinfectants and antibiotics may not be suitable on the skin.

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