A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate

Introduction: A clean and functional microscope is necessary for accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases. In tropical climates, high humidity levels and improper storage conditions allow for the accumulation of debris and fungus on the optical components of diagnostic equipment, such as microscope...

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Autores principales:	Anders J. Asp, Christina M. Webber, Evan N. Nicolai, Gabriel Martínez-Gálvez, Victoria S. Marks, Ephraim I. Ben-Abraham, John W. Willson, J. Luis Luján
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Ubiquity Press 2020
Materias:	Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/194b86a472634e389b722f2ad8bf415c
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:194b86a472634e389b722f2ad8bf415c2021-12-02T09:11:40ZA Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate2214-999610.5334/aogh.2585https://doaj.org/article/194b86a472634e389b722f2ad8bf415c2020-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/2585https://doaj.org/toc/2214-9996Introduction: A clean and functional microscope is necessary for accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases. In tropical climates, high humidity levels and improper storage conditions allow for the accumulation of debris and fungus on the optical components of diagnostic equipment, such as microscopes. Objective: Our objective was to develop and implement a low-cost, sustainable, easy to manage, low-maintenance, passive humidity control chamber to both reduce debris accumulation and microbial growth onto the optical components of microscopes. Methods: Constructed from easily-sourced and locally available materials, the cost of each humidity control chamber is approximately $2.35 USD. Relative humidity levels were recorded every 30 minutes over a period of 10 weeks from two chambers deployed at the Belize Vector and Ecology Center and the University of Belize. Results: The humidity control chamber deployed at the University of Belize maintained internal relative humidity at an average of 35.3% (SD = 4.2%) over 10 weeks, while the average external relative humidity was 86.4% (SD = 12.4%). The humidity control chamber deployed at the Belize Vector and Ecology Center effectively maintained internal relative humidity to an average of 54.5% (SD = 9.4%) over 10 weeks, while the average external relative humidity was 86.9% (SD = 12.9%). Conclusions: Control of relative humidity is paramount for the sustainability of medical equipment in tropical climates. The humidity control chambers reduced relative humidity to levels that were not conducive for fungal growth while reducing microscope contamination from external sources. This will likely extend the service life of the microscopes while taking advantage of low-cost, locally sourced components.Anders J. AspChristina M. WebberEvan N. NicolaiGabriel Martínez-GálvezVictoria S. MarksEphraim I. Ben-AbrahamJohn W. WillsonJ. Luis LujánUbiquity PressarticleInfectious and parasitic diseasesRC109-216Public aspects of medicineRA1-1270ENAnnals of Global Health, Vol 86, Iss 1 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270
spellingShingle	Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Anders J. Asp Christina M. Webber Evan N. Nicolai Gabriel Martínez-Gálvez Victoria S. Marks Ephraim I. Ben-Abraham John W. Willson J. Luis Luján A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate
description	Introduction: A clean and functional microscope is necessary for accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases. In tropical climates, high humidity levels and improper storage conditions allow for the accumulation of debris and fungus on the optical components of diagnostic equipment, such as microscopes. Objective: Our objective was to develop and implement a low-cost, sustainable, easy to manage, low-maintenance, passive humidity control chamber to both reduce debris accumulation and microbial growth onto the optical components of microscopes. Methods: Constructed from easily-sourced and locally available materials, the cost of each humidity control chamber is approximately $2.35 USD. Relative humidity levels were recorded every 30 minutes over a period of 10 weeks from two chambers deployed at the Belize Vector and Ecology Center and the University of Belize. Results: The humidity control chamber deployed at the University of Belize maintained internal relative humidity at an average of 35.3% (SD = 4.2%) over 10 weeks, while the average external relative humidity was 86.4% (SD = 12.4%). The humidity control chamber deployed at the Belize Vector and Ecology Center effectively maintained internal relative humidity to an average of 54.5% (SD = 9.4%) over 10 weeks, while the average external relative humidity was 86.9% (SD = 12.9%). Conclusions: Control of relative humidity is paramount for the sustainability of medical equipment in tropical climates. The humidity control chambers reduced relative humidity to levels that were not conducive for fungal growth while reducing microscope contamination from external sources. This will likely extend the service life of the microscopes while taking advantage of low-cost, locally sourced components.
format	article
author	Anders J. Asp Christina M. Webber Evan N. Nicolai Gabriel Martínez-Gálvez Victoria S. Marks Ephraim I. Ben-Abraham John W. Willson J. Luis Luján
author_facet	Anders J. Asp Christina M. Webber Evan N. Nicolai Gabriel Martínez-Gálvez Victoria S. Marks Ephraim I. Ben-Abraham John W. Willson J. Luis Luján
author_sort	Anders J. Asp
title	A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate
title_short	A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate
title_full	A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate
title_fullStr	A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate
title_full_unstemmed	A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate
title_sort	low-cost humidity control system to protect microscopes in a tropical climate
publisher	Ubiquity Press
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/194b86a472634e389b722f2ad8bf415c
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A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate

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