Question

A student is doing some research on the importance of agents used in the laboratory room to kill certain prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Can you list the six different agents and what each specializes for?

Answer 1

A sterilized environment in the laboratory is a very important parameter to carry all the experiments in the laboratory, generally the microbiological experiments with fluency. Prokaryotes e.g. different kind of bacteria, endospores, certain viruses and eukaryotes e.g. fungi belong to different species can cause harm to the experiments performed in the laboratory. So, to create a sterilized environment inside the laboratory different kinds of agents are used. Some of them are listed below.

1. Phenol & phenol derivatives :

Phenol was the first commonly used disinfectant. Nowadays the phenol derivatives are commonly used instead of phenol. Phenol and phenolics alter membrane permeability and denatures protein. They can kill most of the bacteria, fungi and some viruses but unable to kill endospores.

2. Alcohols :

70% solution of ethyl or isopropyl alcohol are effective in killing vegetative bacteria, fungi and some enveloped viruses but ineffective against the non-enveloped viruses and endospores. Alcohol solution alters membrane permeability and denatures protein.

3. Aldehydes :

Aldehydes e.g. formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde denature microbial proteins. Diluted formalin or glutaraldehyde can kill vegetative cells and endospores. Those are used to preserve biological specimens in steirle conditions.

4. Peroxygens :

Peroxygens are basically oxidising agents. Peroxygens generally include hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid. High concentration of hydrogen peroxide overwhelm the catalase found in microbes. Peracetic acid kill microorganisms by oxidation and subsequent disruption of their cytoplasmic membrane.

5. Ethylene oxide :

Ethylene oxide is a toxic explosive gas which is mixed with inert gases e.g. pheron or carbon dioxide and is used to sterilise heat sensitive laboratory equipments. Ethylene oxide denatures microbial protein.

6. Iodine & idophores :

Iodine and idophores denatures microbial proteins. Iodine and idophores are generally used in combination with alcohol. Idophores are less irritating than iodine for skin. They are generally effective against some vegetative bacteria, some viruses and some endospores.

* Other chemicals :

Chlorine dioxide gas, acids e.g. diluted HCl and chromoc acids, chlorine, heavy metals, chemotherapeutic agents etc.

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