Section 3 Study Guide Questions;
WGU Microbiology D311 And Correct
Answers 2025-2026 Edition.
Fomite - Answer Any inanimate object to which infectious material adheres and can be
transmitted.
Describe the biological safety levels (BSL) - Answer BSL-1: Pose minimal risks to workers and
environment
BSL-2: Pose moderate risks to workers and environment
BSL-3: Serious or lethal diseases spread through respiration
BSL-4: Fatal without any treatment or vaccines
Sterilization - Answer The process that completely destroys all microbial life, including spores.
Sterilant - Answer a chemical agent that destroys all microbes
Aseptic technique - Answer method used to make the environment, the worker, and the
patient as germ-free as possible
Asepsis - Answer absence of significant contamination
Sepsis - Answer toxic inflammatory condition arising from the spread of microbes, especially
bacteria or their toxins, from a focus of infection
Sterile field - Answer an area that is set up for certain procedures and is free from all
organisms
Commercial sterilization - Answer type of sterilization protocol used in food production; uses
conditions that are less harsh (lower temperatures) to preserve food quality but still effectively
destroy vegetative cells and endospores of common foodborne pathogens such as Clostridium
botulinum
, Disinfectants - Answer antimicrobial chemical applied to a fomite during disinfection that may
be toxic to tissues
Antiseptics - Answer antimicrobial chemical that can be used safely on living tissue
antisepsis - Answer protocol that removes potential pathogens from living tissue
critical item - Answer object that must be sterile because it will be used inside the body, often
penetrating sterile tissues or the bloodstream
semicritical item - Answer object that contacts mucous membranes or nonintact skin but does
not penetrate tissues; requires a high level of disinfection
Degerming - Answer protocol that significantly reduces microbial numbers by using mild
chemicals (e.g., soap) and gentle scrubbing of a small area of skin or tissue to avoid the
transmission of pathogenic microbes
sanitization - Answer protocol that reduces microbial load on inanimate surfaces to levels
deemed safe for public health
bactericide - Answer chemical or physical treatment that kills bacteria
viricide - Answer chemical or physical treatment that destroys or inactivates viruses
fungicide - Answer chemical or physical treatment that kills fungi
bacteriostatic - Answer having the ability to inhibit bacterial growth, generally by means of
chemical or physical treatment; reversible inhibition of a microbe's ability to divide
fungistatic - Answer having the ability to inhibit fungal growth, generally by means of chemical
or physical treatment
microbial death curve - Answer (D value) graphical representation of the progress of a
particular microbial control protocol
WGU Microbiology D311 And Correct
Answers 2025-2026 Edition.
Fomite - Answer Any inanimate object to which infectious material adheres and can be
transmitted.
Describe the biological safety levels (BSL) - Answer BSL-1: Pose minimal risks to workers and
environment
BSL-2: Pose moderate risks to workers and environment
BSL-3: Serious or lethal diseases spread through respiration
BSL-4: Fatal without any treatment or vaccines
Sterilization - Answer The process that completely destroys all microbial life, including spores.
Sterilant - Answer a chemical agent that destroys all microbes
Aseptic technique - Answer method used to make the environment, the worker, and the
patient as germ-free as possible
Asepsis - Answer absence of significant contamination
Sepsis - Answer toxic inflammatory condition arising from the spread of microbes, especially
bacteria or their toxins, from a focus of infection
Sterile field - Answer an area that is set up for certain procedures and is free from all
organisms
Commercial sterilization - Answer type of sterilization protocol used in food production; uses
conditions that are less harsh (lower temperatures) to preserve food quality but still effectively
destroy vegetative cells and endospores of common foodborne pathogens such as Clostridium
botulinum
, Disinfectants - Answer antimicrobial chemical applied to a fomite during disinfection that may
be toxic to tissues
Antiseptics - Answer antimicrobial chemical that can be used safely on living tissue
antisepsis - Answer protocol that removes potential pathogens from living tissue
critical item - Answer object that must be sterile because it will be used inside the body, often
penetrating sterile tissues or the bloodstream
semicritical item - Answer object that contacts mucous membranes or nonintact skin but does
not penetrate tissues; requires a high level of disinfection
Degerming - Answer protocol that significantly reduces microbial numbers by using mild
chemicals (e.g., soap) and gentle scrubbing of a small area of skin or tissue to avoid the
transmission of pathogenic microbes
sanitization - Answer protocol that reduces microbial load on inanimate surfaces to levels
deemed safe for public health
bactericide - Answer chemical or physical treatment that kills bacteria
viricide - Answer chemical or physical treatment that destroys or inactivates viruses
fungicide - Answer chemical or physical treatment that kills fungi
bacteriostatic - Answer having the ability to inhibit bacterial growth, generally by means of
chemical or physical treatment; reversible inhibition of a microbe's ability to divide
fungistatic - Answer having the ability to inhibit fungal growth, generally by means of chemical
or physical treatment
microbial death curve - Answer (D value) graphical representation of the progress of a
particular microbial control protocol
