EPISODE 1- TERM 1 ▪ USUALLY, SPECIMESARE FIRST
MICROSCOPES
MC3- LABORATORY
E. ROMERO
● MICROSCOPE IS AN OPTICAL
INSTRUMENT THAT IS USED TO
OBSERVE TINY OBJECTS OFTEN
OBJECTS THAT CANNOT BE SEEN AT
ALL WITH THE UNAIDED HUMAN EYE
● RESOLVING POWER- OPTICAL
INSTRUMENT LIMIT TO WHAT CAN BE
SEEN – ALSO CALLED RESOLUTION
● SIMPLE MICROSCOPE- MICROSCOPE
CONTAINING ONLY ONE MAGNIFYING
LENS, -USUALLY APPEAR ABOUT 3-20
TIMES LARGER THAN THE OBJECT’S
ACTUAL SIZE
● COMPOUND MICROSCOPES- CONTAIN
MORE THAN ONE MAGNIFYING LENS,
USUALLY MAGNIFY OBJECTS ABOUT
1000 TIMES
● COMPOUND LIGHT MICROSCOPE-
VISIBLE LIGHT (FROM A BUILT-IN LIGHT
BULB) IS USED AS THE SOURSE OF
ILLUMINATION, OBJECTS CANNOT BE
SEEN IF THEY ARE SMALLER THAN
HALF OF THE WAVELENGTH OF VISIBLE
LIGHT.
▪ WITHIN THE EYEPIECE OR
OCULAR IS A LENSE CALLED THE
OCULAR LENS; IT USUALLY HAS A
MAGNIFYING POWER OF X10,
▪ THE SECOND MAGNIFYING LENS
SYSTEM IN THE OBJECTIVE,
WHICH IS POSITIONED
IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE
OBJECT TO BE VIEWED
▪ THE FOUR OBJECTIVES USED IN
MOST LABORATORY COMPOUND
LIGHT MICROSCOPES ARE X4,
X10. X40 AND X100 OBJECTIVES
▪ TOTAL MAGNIFICATION IS
CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING
THE MAGNIFYING POWER OF
THE OCULAR BY THE
MAGNIFYING POWER OF THE
OBJECTIVE
OBSERVED USING X10
OBJECTIVE, ONCE THE SPECIMEN
IS IN FOCUS, THE HIGH POWER
OBJECTIVE IS USED- CAN BE
USED TO STUDY ALGAE,
PROTOZOA, AND OTHER LARGE
MICROORGANISMS
▪ FOR OPTIMAL OBSERVATION,
THE LIGHT MUST BE PROPERLY
ADJUSTED AND FOCUSED
▪ THE CONDENSER, LOCATED
BENEATH THE STAGE FOCUSES
LIGHT ONTO THE SPECIMEN,
ADJUSTS THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT,
AND SHAPES THE CONE OF
LIGHT ENTERING THE OBJECTIVE
▪ THE HIGHER THE
MAGNIFICATION, THE MORE
LIGHT IS NEEDED
▪ IMAGE CLARITY DEPENDS ON
THE RESOLVING POWER
(RESOLUTION)- ABILITY OF THE
LENS SYSTEM TO DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT
OBJECTS
● BRIGHTFIELD MICROSCOPE- OBJECTS
ARE OBSERVED AGAINST A BRIGHT
BACKGROUND
● IN CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
LABORATORY, DARKFIELD
MICROSCOPY IS ROUTINELY USED TO
DIAGNOSE PRIMARY SYPHILIS
● PHASE CONTRAST MICROSCOPE-
USED TO OBSERVE UNSTAINED LIVING
ORGANISMS
● FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPES-
CONTAIN A BUILT-IN UV LIGHT SOURCE,
OFTEN USED IN IMMUNOLOGY
LABORATORIES
● ELECTRON MICROSCOPES- USE AN
ELECTRON BEAM AS A SOURCE OF
ILLUMINATION AND MAGNETS TO
FOCUS THE BEAM, HAVE MUCH
RESOLVING POWER THAN COMPOUND
LIGHT MICROSCOPES
● TRANSMISSION ELECTRON
MICROSCOPE- CAN MAGNIFY OBJECTS
UP TO 1 MILLION TIME, A
MAGNIFICATION IS ACHIEVED THAT IS
ABOUT 1000 TIMES GRATER THAN THE
MAXIMUM MAGNIFICATION ACHIEVED
USING A COMPOUND LIGHT
MICROSCOPE, ENABLE SCIENTIST TO
STUDY THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF
THE CELL
● SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE-
USED TO OBSERVE THE OUTER
SURFACES OF SPECIMENS, RESOLVING
POWER IS NOT AS QUITE AS GOOD AS
THE RESOLVING POWER OF THE TEM
EPISODE 1- TERM 1
ASEPTIC TECHNIQUE
MC3- LABORATORY
E. ROMERO
● MANY MICROBES, IF MISHANDLED, ARE
POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS TO
HUMANS
● ASSUME ALL ARE DANGEROUS
● ONE OF THE MAJOR WAYS THAT
MICROBES ENTER THE BODY IS BY WAY
OF THE MOUTH; THUS NO EATING,
DRINKING, GUM CHEWING, OR
SMOKING IN THE LABORATORY
● ANOTHER WAY MICROBES CAN ENTER
YOUR BODY IS THROUGH DAMAGED
SKIN, MAKE SURE THAT DAMAGE THE
SKIN, MAKE SURE IT IS CONVERTED
PROPERLY WITH AN APPROPRIATE
BANDAGE OR GLOVES BEFORE YOU
PERFORM ANY LABORATORY
PROCEDURE
● MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY
PROCEDURES HAVE LONG BEEN
ESTABLISHED TO KEEP
BACTERIA,FUNGI, VIRUSES AND OTHER
TYPES OF MICROBES UNDER CONTROL
WHILE THEY ARE BEING STUDIED
● CLEANLINESS IS AN IMPORTANT
ASPECT OF THIS CONTROL AS A CLEAN
AND DISINFECTED, WORK AREA
GREATLY REDUCES THE NUMBER OF
ALL MICROORGANISMS, INCLUDING
THOSE LIKELY TO CAUSE DISEASE
● SEPSIS- INFECTION OR INFECTIOUS
MATERIAL , A= WITHOUT
● ASEPTIC TECHNIQUE ALLOWS ONE TO
WORK WITH MICROBES WITHOUT
GETTING THESE POTENTIALLY
DISEASE-CAUSING ORGANISMS ON THE
WORKER OR WORK AREA, AND
CONVERSELY, GETTING EXTRANEOUS
MICROBES FROM THE ENVIRONMENT
MIXED WITH THOSE BEING STUDIED, EX.
CONSISTENT USE OF HAND WASHING
BY MEDICAL WORKERS TO PREVENT
THE SPREAD OF MICROBES FROM
PATIENT TO PATIENT
● STERILIZATION- DESTRUCTION OR
COMPLETE REMOVAL OF ALL FORMS
OF MICROORGANISMS INCLUDING
THEIR SPORES
● DISINFECTION- IT IS THE DESTRUCTION
OF MANY MICROORGANISMS BUT NOT
USUALLY THE BACTERIAL SPORES
● ANTISEPSIS- DESTRUCTION OR
INHIBITION OF MICROORGANISMS IN
LIVING TISSUES THEREBY LIMITING OR
PREVENTING THE HARMFUL EFFECT OF
INFECTION
● STATIC AGENT- ONLY INHIBIT THE
GROWTH OF MICROORGANISMS
(BACTERIOSTATIC, FUNGISTATIC,
SPOROSTATIC)
● CIDAL AGENT- KILL THE
MICROORGANISM
● STERILANTS- CHEMICALS THAT CAN
SKILL SPORING BACTERIA