Sterilization (microbiology)

Sterilization (or sterilisation) is a term referring to any process that eliminates (removes) or kills (deactivates) all forms of life and other biological agents (such as viruses which some do not consider to be alive but are biological pathogens nonetheless), excluding prions which cannot be killed, including transmissible agents (such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, prions, spore forms,unicellular eukaryotic organisms such as Plasmodium, etc.) present in a specified region, such as a surface, a volume of fluid, medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media. Sterilization can be achieved with one or more of the following: heat, chemicals, irradiation, high pressure, and filtration. Sterilization is distinct from disinfection, sanitization, and pasteurization in that sterilization kills, deactivates, or eliminates all forms of life and other biological agents.