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How to Sanitize a Microscope

Decontamination methods of microscopes for safe usage

Microscopes are commonly shared by several users, so that is why they can have the risk of contamination with microorganisms. In addition, microorganisms themselves can serve as specimens which are observed with the microscope. Thus, a frequent sanitization of the microscope is highly recommended. To avoid infections, the use of disposable gloves for microscope operation, cleaning, and decontamination is recommended as well. Disposable gloves can be decontaminated with, e.g., alcohol, if necessary, or should be changed frequently to minimize the risk of contamination.

Infectious Agents

The surface of lab instruments, such as a microscope, can be contaminated with microorganisms coming from users or the specimen itself. For this reason, the user contact points, such as the eyepieces, focus knob, and microscope body, plus the computer keyboard and mouse, should be decontaminated regularly.

Infectious agents can be classified as follows with decreasing resistance to disinfectants (1 indicates the greatest resistance and 6 the lowest):

- Bacterial Spores

- Mycobacteria

- Non-enveloped Viruses

- Fungi

- Vegetative Bacteria

- Enveloped Viruses

Disinfection Methods

The most efficient disinfection methods against microorganisms exploit heat. Examples are exposing a material to a flame or steam or boiling it in water. As it is not a good idea to do this with your microscope, significant damage can result, there are more gentle ways of disinfection.

Lab instruments and surfaces are commonly cleaned with liquids containing alcohols, aldehydes, chlorine compounds, phenols, and peroxides. The disinfection efficiency of a single component depends on its concentration in the liquid and contact time with the material. Moreover, different microorganisms have diverse tolerances to specific disinfectants. The Robert Koch Institute subdivides disinfectants into four subgroups:

A: kills vegetative bacteria, including mycobacteria, as well as fungi and their spores.

B: inactivates enveloped and non-enveloped viruses

C: kills anthrax spores

D: kills spores of gas edema and tetanus-causing bacteria

Details

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