PARASITOLOGY – Activity # 1

Aming, Glaiza S.

Mantar, Sairah D.

Que, Shairavigne I.

Sahak, Sumaiya S.

Procedure:

1. Draw and label the parts of a Compound microscope.

Questions:

2. Enumerate the daily care and preventive maintenance routines for microscopes.
 Handle with care.
- The majority of issues with microscopes are caused by poor handling. Hold your
microscope by the metal support arm and base when transporting it. Avoid picking it up by
the stage as this may result in alignment issues. Use a microscope bag when moving it.
 Always carry the microscope with two hands.
 Never touch the lenses with your fingers.
- Keep your hands off the lenses. Use a lens tissue to gently clean the lenses if they become
dirty. Lint or streaks on the eyepiece may be to blame if blurry specks emerge in the field of
view. If the specks move as you rotate the eyepiece, the eyepiece is dusty, and you should
clean the eyepiece's outer lens. Clean the objective
lens with lens paper if changing the objective lenses improves the quality of the image.
 Only use lens paper for cleaning
- Microscope lenses should be handled carefully since they are prone to scratching. Dust can
be removed using an aspirator. Sticky residue can be removed with lens paper that has been
gently wiped in a circular motion while being soaked with distilled water or lens cleaning
solution. Never use anything abrasive or sharp on the microscope lenses.
 Keep objects clear of desk and cords.
- Place the microscope on a stable, level surface. It is not advisable to use this table or
position anything nearby that produces vibrations. The table should be at a comfortable
height for the user. To protect it from splashes or spills, the microscope should be kept away
from water, sinks, and racks carrying chemicals.
 Keep lenses clear of slide
- Lower the objective lens as far as it will go when using your microscope and adjusting the
focus. Never, however, should the lens touch the slide you are viewing. While using the
coarse adjustment to focus while using the microscope, never do so. When you advance the
goal toward the slide, keep your head tilted to the side, your eyes parallel to the slide, and
keep an eye on it. You can avoid crashing the goal into the slide by doing this.
 Cover when not in use
- Dust coverings are sold with every microscope. Even if the microscope is kept in a cabinet,
it should always be covered when not in use. Do not keep a microscope without the
eyepieces because eye tubes must be kept clear of dust. If the microscope eyepieces must
be taken out, seal the tubes with caps or wrap the eye tube in a plastic bag and secure it
with a rubber band.
 Store in a clean, dry place.
- Be careful not to keep your microscope next to potentially leaking solutions or in an area
with corrosive chemical fumes that could damage the lenses or metal components. Over
time, damage can also be caused by salt air and widespread dampness. Ensure that the
cabinet has ventilation.
 Perform an annual maintenance check
1. When do you use a reduced light (type of examinations & type of particles examined?
 Reduced light or lowering the light improves the specimen's contrast which makes it "stand out"
against its background to accurately observed the specimen especially its details. The brightness
of the image is related to the numerical aperture of the lens' objective. The following are some
types of examinations used for this: gram staining, endospore staining, capsule staining, etc. As
for the particles, examples of it are parasitic particle, metamorphic quartzite particles, secretory
granules, large mitochondria, etc.

2. When do you use a coverslip in microscopic examination?

 Coverslip are usually used in microscopic examinations when viewing smears or specimens that
are typically biological in nature. It can be used in solid and wet specimen to keep any solid or
liquid specimens placed flat and evenly so as to allow high resolutions microscopes to focus
within their limited region in which they can focus. The use of cover slips stimulates the quality
of a sample’s image under the microscope. The cover slip prevents you from accidentally
contaminating your lens and microscope with microorganisms or various liquids. Also, the use of
coverslip sometimes also depends on the objective lens. Some objective lens is mark with 0
which means that the objective lens does not require the use of coverslip at all.