Factors Influencing Activity of Disinfectants

Factors Influencing Activity of Disinfectants

Various conditions influencing the efficiency of disinfectant are as follows:

Temperature: Increase in temperature increases theefficiency of disinfectants.

Type of microorganism: Vegetative cells are more suscep-tible than spores. Spores may be resistant to the action of disinfectants.

Physiological state of the cell: Young and metabolicallyactive cells are more sensitive than old dormant cells. Nongrowing cells may not be affected.

Environment: The physical or chemical properties of themedium or substance influence rate as well as efficiency of disinfectants, e.g., pH of the medium and presence of extraneous materials.