Evaluation of Antiseptics: The filter Paper Disk Method Lab 35 (Essay Sample)

Evaluation of Antiseptics: The Filter Paper Disk Method (Lab 35)
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Title: Evaluation of Antiseptics: The filter Paper Disk Method (Lab 35)
The term antiseptic was coined to refer to any agent that averted sepsis or putrefaction that occurred due to the growth of microorganism (Aneja, 2007). However, with the development of disinfectants, the term antiseptic was narrowed down to chemicals that are meant to be applied to skin or other living tissues to decrease the number of microbes is called antiseptics. Antiseptics can be categorized into five: Alcohols, Phenols and bisphenols, iodine compounds, heavy metals and surfactants (Tortora, Funke & Case, 2013). 
Alcohols include compounds such as ethanol, isopropanol and ethyl alcohol which are used to reduce the number of microbes on the site of the skin which is designated for injections or withdrawal of blood. The compound ethyl alcohol is commonly used in the disinfection medical and laboratory equipment. Phenols is the first antiseptic that was used. Today, the active compound in phenols-cresols- is used in commercial disinfectants such as Lysol. This derivative is less corrosive and irritating and has replaced phenol as disinfectant and has proved to be particularly potent against Staphylococcus aureus (Aneja , 2007). 
Iodine compounds such as povidine-iodine solution and tincture of iodine are also good antiseptics that are effective against fungi, viruses and various bacterial spores due to its ability to precipitate microbial proteins. Heavy metal compounds are not used as direct disinfectants, however, these compounds such as silver nitrate are used in antiseptic preparations. Surfactants are agents that interfere with the normal interaction between the surface of the cell and the aqueous environment by reducing surface tension. Examples of such agents are soaps and detergents which when used lead to the physical removal of microbes through a cleansing action.