Biological Indicators for Sterilization

Biological indicators (BIs) provide information on whether necessary conditions were met to kill a specified number of microorganisms (bacterial spores) for a given sterilization process. STERIS’s full portfolio of biological indicators offers testing for various applications including steam sterilization and vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) sterilization. In these applications, Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores are primarily used due to their high resistance to these sterilization processes.

BIs are typically used within process challenge devices (PCD), designed to represent the most challenging products routinely processed for autoclave sterilization testing. A passing result for the BI within the PCD demonstrates that the sterilization cycle was effective at inactivating the BI, providing Medical Device Reprocessing Area staff with a level of assurance in their steam or VHP sterilization process.

Browse STERIS biological indicators including self-contained biological indicators (SCBI) and process challenge devices or test packs. These devices play a critical role in sterility assurance and provide the only direct measure of the lethality of the sterilization process.