Because of the low penetrability, UV radiation is generally used to sterilize the exposed surfaces and the air of hospital rooms. Its inability to penetrate through plastic, ordinary glass, and milk greatly hinders its usefulness. Microbial Control A variety of chemicals are used for sterilizing such as ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, glutaraldehyde, phenolics, quaternary ammonium compounds, alcohols, chlorine, iodine, chlorhexidine, and heavy metals such as the mercurials, mercurochrome, merthiolate, and the silver-containing agents of silver nitrate and silver chloride. In the previous section, we examined the control of microbes outside of the human body, such as on surfaces, in food, and on medical instruments. In this section, we will explore the control of microbes inside the body.
Chemotherapeutic agents are chemicals that are used to treat diseases.
This includes all kinds of diseases, not just infectious diseases. Therefore, drugs for high-blood pressure and cancer, for example, are chemotherapeutic agents. Antibiotics are derived from microorganisms and are used for treating infectious diseases. Source of Antimicrobial Agents Antimicrobial agents come from three sources. The true antibiotics are produced by bacteria and fungi.