chap6

• Joseph Lister (1876) introduced antiseptic principles for use in surgery and posttraumatic injury
• Lister used PHENOL (Carbolic Acid) as a wash for hands, a spray on incision sites, and on bandages applied to wounds
• Paul Ehrlich worked with antibacterial dyes and antiparasitic organic arsenicals
• Ehrlich aimed to develop compounds with antimicrobial activity while minimizing toxicity to the human host, known as "Magic Bullets"
• Paul Ehrlich discovered Compound 606 (arsphenamine, salvarsan), an antisyphylitic agent
• Dyes like Gentian Violet and Methylene blue were used as anti-infectives
• Heavy metals were also used as anti-infectives but had limited usefulness due to toxicities
• Selective Toxicity: Certain chemicals can kill one type of organism without harming others
• Germicides are anti-infective agents used locally
• Antiseptics are compounds that kill (-cidal) or prevent the growth (-static) of microorganisms when applied to living tissue
• Ideal properties of antiseptics include low toxicity, rapid and sustained lethal action against microorganisms, and low surface tension for spreading into wounds
• Antiseptics should retain activity in the presence of body fluids and not interfere with healing
• Disinfectants prevent infection transmission by destroying pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate objects
• Ideal disinfectants have rapidly lethal action against pathogens, good penetrating properties, and compatibility with organic compounds
• Disinfectants should not be inactivated by living tissue, be noncorrosive, and aesthetically pleasing
• Antisepsis involves applying an agent to living tissue to prevent infection
• Decontamination involves destroying or reducing the number of microorganisms
• Disinfection is a treatment that destroys most vegetative microbes or viruses on inanimate objects
• Sanitization reduces the microbial load on a surface to an acceptable level for public health
• Sterilization is a process to kill or remove all types of microorganisms, including spores, with a low probability of survival
• Pasteurization kills nonsporulating microorganisms with hot water or steam at 65-100°C
• Alcohols and aldehydes are used as antiseptics and disinfectants
• Primary alcohols' antibacterial potency increases with molecular weight until the 8-carbon atom (octanol)
• Increased primary alcohol chain length enhances Van der Waals interactions, aiding penetration of microbial membranes
• Branching of alcohol chain decreases antibacterial potency due to weaker Van der Waals forces
• Isopropyl alcohol is slightly more active than ethyl alcohol against vegetative bacterial growth but ineffective against spores
• Alcohols denature important proteins and carbohydrates
• Ethanol, also known as Alcohol, USP, is widely used in pharmaceutical preparations
• Denatured alcohol is ethanol made unfit for intoxicating beverages by adding substances like methanol and benzene
• Specially denatured alcohol is treated with substances for specialized purposes like tincture of iodine or mouthwashes
• Alcohol is used externally as an antiseptic, preservative, counterirritant, or solvent
• Rubbing alcohol usually contains 70% ethanol and has various uses like astringent, local anesthetic, and mild sedative
• Acetaldehyde in alcohol can cause nausea, vomiting, and vasodilatory flushing
• Acetaldehyde causes nausea and vomiting, as well as vasodilatory flushing
• Alcohol is used in pharmacy for the preparation of spirits, tinctures, and fluidextracts
• 70% alcohol is an acceptable bactericidal concentration
• 60-95% alcohol does not have any significant difference in bactericidal action
• Dehydrated Alcohol, or Absolute alcohol, contains not less than 99% ethanol by weight
• Isopropyl Alcohol is primarily used to disinfect the skin and surgical instruments
• Isopropyl Alcohol is rapidly bactericidal in the concentration range of 50% to 95%