Disinfection is an operation to eliminate or kill microorganisms and/or inactivate undesirable viruses.

5 different activities are grouped under the term disinfection:

• Bactericide : Product that kills bacteria
• Levuricide Yeast-killing product
• Fungicide : Product that kills fungi (spores and moulds)
• Sporicide : Product that kills bacterial spores.
• Virucide Product that kills viruses

Thus one disinfectant may be only bactericidal, while another may be bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal.