Sanitation & Infection Control Flashcards
7 cards from real CPS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Sanitation & Infection Control flashcards as text
What is the difference between sterilization and disinfection in a grooming context?
Answer: Sterilization eliminates all microbial life including spores; disinfection reduces pathogens to a safe level but may not kill all spores
Sterilization achieves complete microbial elimination including resistant spores, while disinfection achieves a substantial but not necessarily total reduction.
Why should quaternary ammonium compound (quat) disinfectants NOT be mixed with anionic detergents?
Answer: Anionic detergents neutralize quats, rendering them ineffective as disinfectants
Anionic detergents chemically bind to quaternary ammonium compounds, neutralizing their antimicrobial activity and making disinfection ineffective.
A grooming salon receives a new dog whose vaccination history is unknown. What is the BEST infection-control approach?
Answer: Require proof of vaccination or treat the dog as potentially unvaccinated and take full precautions
Treating unknown-vaccination-history pets as potentially unvaccinated and applying full precautions protects other salon animals from potential pathogen exposure.
What role does proper ventilation play in infection control within a grooming salon?
Answer: It dilutes and removes airborne pathogens and reduces humidity that supports microbial growth
Good ventilation dilutes airborne pathogens and lowers humidity, which otherwise creates an environment favorable for fungal and bacterial growth.
Which of the following surfaces in a grooming salon is MOST likely to harbor pathogens if not cleaned between pets?
Answer: The grooming table surface
The grooming table has direct, prolonged contact with every pet and their shed hair, dander, and bodily fluids, making it the highest-risk surface.
How should a groomer respond if a pet defecates on the grooming table during a session?
Answer: Remove the pet, immediately clean and disinfect the entire table before resuming
Fecal matter contains high pathogen loads; immediately removing it and disinfecting the table prevents contamination of the pet's coat and spread to other animals.
What is the primary reason grooming scissors and shears should be kept dry and stored properly after disinfection?
Answer: To maintain sharpness and prevent rust, which can harbor bacteria in pitting corrosion
Moisture causes rust on metal blades, and pitting corrosion in rust creates micro-crevices where bacteria can survive and resist disinfection.