Antiseptic

"Germicide" redirects here. For the album by the Germs, see Germicide (album).
Not to be confused with Antibiotic.

An antiseptic (Greek: ἀντί, romanized: anti, lit. 'against'[1] and σηπτικός, sēptikos, 'putrefactive'[2]) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from antibiotics by the latter's ability to safely destroy bacteria within the body, and from disinfectants, which destroy microorganisms found on non-living objects.[3]

Antibacterials include antiseptics that have the proven ability to act against bacteria. Microbicides which destroy virus particles are called viricides or antivirals. Antifungals, also known as antimycotics, are pharmaceutical fungicides used to treat and prevent mycosis (fungal infection).[4]

  1. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert. "ἀντί". A Greek-English Lexicon. Perseus perseus.tufts.edu. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
  2. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert. "σηπτικός". A Greek-English Lexicon. Perseus perseus.tufts.edu. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
  3. ^ McDonnell, Gerald; Russell, A. Denver (January 1999). "Antiseptics and Disinfectants: Activity, Action, and Resistance". Clinical Microbiology Reviews. 12 (1): 147–79. doi:10.1128/CMR.12.1.147. PMC 88911. PMID 9880479.
  4. ^ Wang, Jing; Zhou, Min; Xu, Jing-Yan; Zhou, Rong-Fu; Chen, Bing; Wan, Yuan (8 October 2020). "Comparison of Antifungal Prophylaxis Drugs in Patients With Hematological Disease or Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis". JAMA Network Open. 3 (10): e2017652. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.17652. ISSN 2574-3805. PMC 7545296. PMID 33030550. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.