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Pressure increases the boiling point of water, when it does boil the steam is now 'super-heated'. It is at a higher temperature than the boiling point of 100C (usually 121C and 15psi for an autoclave) this quickly transfers much greater amounts of heat energy to the object being autoclaved.

The vast majority of microorganisms and even pathogenic bacterial spores cannot withstand this temperature and pressure for long, the lipids and proteins in their cell walls and membranes disintegrate and they are killed.

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Q: Why is pressure required to kill endospores in an autoclave?
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How are endospores destroyed?

Some methods to kill endospores is x-ray, gamma rays, acid, and autoclaving. Endospores are very hard to kill and could allow bacteria to lay dormant until conditions can become more favorable.


Can pasteurisation method kill endospores?

yes


Do disinfectants kill spores?

I learned in my microbiology course that an autoclave is effective at killing spores produced from bacteria. The device heats up to 121 degrees Celsius and exposes any thing inside of it to high pressure. There may be other ways but this is usally 100%


What is the Principle of autoclave in biotechnology?

An autoclave is piece of equipment that is usually used to sterilize objects and supplies by subjecting them to high pressure saturated steam at 121 °C or more, typically for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the load and the contents. The sterilization occurs by three mechanisms: temperature, pressure, and thermal oxidation. The high temperature will kill most microorganisms because they cannot tolerate the temperature - essentially it "cooks" them. Viruses, which may not be considered "organisms" are also broken down by the temperature and proteins can be denatured. The pressure will cause penetration of membrane walls of organisms, disrupting or breaking the walls, forcing the steam into them, and screwing up the osmotic pressure. Some biological materials will also experience thermal oxidation - they react with residual air present in the autoclave or with other oxidizers present in the autoclave. As the reactions occur, the biological materials are broken down or destroyed.


How could bacterial endospores be used as indicator of sterilization efficiency?

Bacterial endospores can be used as indicators of sterilization efficiency because of their ability to enable bacteria to lie dormant for extended periods. If they are present then the sterilization is not efficient to kill them and thus the bacteria.

Related questions

How are endospores destroyed?

Some methods to kill endospores is x-ray, gamma rays, acid, and autoclaving. Endospores are very hard to kill and could allow bacteria to lay dormant until conditions can become more favorable.


What is the limitation of using the autoclave?

a. Cannot kill endospores b. Cannot inactivate viruses c. Requires a long time to achieve sterilization d. Cannot be used with heat-labile materials e. Cannot be used with glassware ...must be one of these


Does boiling of water at 100 kill endospores?

no


Can pasteurisation method kill endospores?

yes


How can I sterilize needles used in tattooing?

You really should not be reusing needles to tattoo someone. If you are going to though, the only way to properly sterilize them is by using an autoclave. An autoclave uses extreme pressure and heat to kill germs and bacteria.


What is the difference between a cold sterilizer and an autoclave?

A cold sterilizer uses various chemicals at room temperature that kill bacteria and spores. An autoclave is a pressure cooker of sorts, and uses hot steam under extreme pressure to kill bacteria and spores. An autoclave is much faster and is considered the state of the art for sterilization. Unfortunately, some materials such as plastics cannot be autoclaved because they would be destroyed or melted in the process. These items are sterilized using cold sterile chemicals.


What is the main function of the autoclave?

An autoclave is an instrument used to sterilize labware through moist heat. This process effectively kills any microbes that may be residing on labware.


How do you clean dressing forceps?

Dressing forceps are meant to be sterilized via autoclave. If that an autoclave is unavailable, at least 70% isopropyl alcohol soak will help kill some bacteria.


Do disinfectants kill spores?

I learned in my microbiology course that an autoclave is effective at killing spores produced from bacteria. The device heats up to 121 degrees Celsius and exposes any thing inside of it to high pressure. There may be other ways but this is usally 100%


What is the Principle of autoclave in biotechnology?

An autoclave is piece of equipment that is usually used to sterilize objects and supplies by subjecting them to high pressure saturated steam at 121 °C or more, typically for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the load and the contents. The sterilization occurs by three mechanisms: temperature, pressure, and thermal oxidation. The high temperature will kill most microorganisms because they cannot tolerate the temperature - essentially it "cooks" them. Viruses, which may not be considered "organisms" are also broken down by the temperature and proteins can be denatured. The pressure will cause penetration of membrane walls of organisms, disrupting or breaking the walls, forcing the steam into them, and screwing up the osmotic pressure. Some biological materials will also experience thermal oxidation - they react with residual air present in the autoclave or with other oxidizers present in the autoclave. As the reactions occur, the biological materials are broken down or destroyed.


How could bacterial endospores be used as indicator of sterilization efficiency?

Bacterial endospores can be used as indicators of sterilization efficiency because of their ability to enable bacteria to lie dormant for extended periods. If they are present then the sterilization is not efficient to kill them and thus the bacteria.


In the use-dilution test a chemical is evaluated by its ability to kill 106 and 108 dried clostridium sporongenes or bacillus subtilis endospores. why is this considered a stringent test?

Chemicals do not readily penetrate bacterial endospores. The number of endospores used is higher than would be expected in normal use of disinfectant. It uses a measure of determining the effectiveness of a disinfectant using serial dilutions.