Contamination (medicine)
In medicine, contamination (from the Latin contaminare , “to stain”, “to dirty”) is the undesired contamination of surfaces or volumes by pathogens or toxins . A desired colonization by pathogens or other microorganisms, on the other hand, is called inoculation . The contaminating substance is called the contaminant .
The contamination by toxins also includes the contamination by radioactive substances , biological poisons or chemical substances and thus also that of biological and chemical weapons . Microorganism contamination is an important way of transmitting infectious diseases . Mutual contamination of two substances (e.g. from cell cultures or chemicals ) is called cross-contamination . The extent of contamination in invasive procedures is based on the contamination level evaluated.
Web links
- Roche Medical Lexicon ( online )
- Federal health reporting on the subject of 'contamination' . Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, keyword 'Contaminant' (English). Retrieved August 21, 2013.