Aug 10 2010
PlosOne, an online journal, has published a comparative performance report of the Global Focus fluorescence microscope and the Nikon E400 flourescence microscope.
The battery-powered Global Focus microscope detects TB (tuberculosis) with results similar to that of an expensive laboratory model microscope. This experimental analysis enables the health care providers to use fluorescence microscopy technology to the point-of-care.
The lightweight Global Focus fluorescence microscope offers a maximum of 1000 times magnification. It allows diagnosing and screening TB in remote locations that have infrastructure limitations. The light source of the inverted bright field Global Focus microscope comprises battery-operated, removable white and blue LED flashlights. The blue LED offers fluorescence illumination, as it has a narrow bandwidth excitation filter. The white LED is used in the applications of bright field imaging.
M. tuberculosis bacilli sputum smears, which was taken from clinical specimens collected in Iran, was used to compare the two microscopes. Results with a concordance rate of 87.5% were achieved, as per the IUATLD guidelines. The portable Global Focus fluorescence microscope is ideal for use as a diagnostic tool for making the M. tuberculosis testing more available at the point of care in settings with less resource.
Source: http://www.plosone.org/