Microbiological equipment
Although in microbiology the outcome of the diagnosis depends in a large degree upon the expertise and experience of the microbiologist, the "modern tools" availiable provide the means for a quicker outcome. UNILAB uses five different incubators set at different temperatures and atmospheric conditions in order to accomodate the different needs of the growing requirments of the micro-organisms. Such conditions include CO2 , O2, anaerobic, or microaerophilic conditions.
Our microbiology section includes two very sensitive microscopes- the "ultimate tool of the microbiologist"- which enable us to look under various magnifications the organisms in question, whether we choose to use light microscopy,dark field or immunofluoresence. Our microscopes are also equiped with photo lenses which allow us to photograph a lot of interresting findings. Micro-organisms may be ferrocious for the unfortunate patient but under the microscope present themselves in very elegant shapes and colours!
UNILAB is also very carefull in following the safety guidelines and according to our code for good laboratory practice, specimens which may be dangerous to the technical staff are handled only inside the category II cabinet.
The non clinical section of microbiology , the "clean Lab", where only the set up for the food and water testing occurs is equiped with a stomacher for the emulsification of the food stuffs, an automatic triple water pump for water suction, automatic sealers and calibrated scales.
Our laboratory prepares a lot of the nutrient agar plates and solutions neccessary for the innoculation of the samples and performs sterilization in our autoclave. The water used in the laboratory is passed through a de-ioniser column and a sterility testing is performed to ensure prime quality of the water produced.
UNILAB performs quality testing for the media which prepares by macroscopic examinations and growth perfomances using reference strains provided by Refference Labs in the UK. These stains are cultured and grown on our media.Studies for lower detection limits are freequently performed to ensure that the smallest amounts of pathogens can be captured by our methods.ISO standard procedures are followed. UNILAB participates successfully in external QC schemes for microbiology parallel to our daily internal checks.
