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	Diagnostic Uses of a Fluorescence Microscope Fluorescence microscopy, as compared with conventional light microscopy, is much more sensitive and specific for detecting microorganisms. Important diagnostic tests using a fluorescence microscope are: Fluorescent antibody Fluorescent acid fast stain (Auramine O or Acridine orange) Acridine orange vital stain
	Fluorescent antibody (FA) technique, also known as immunofluorescence, is an excellent rapid diagnostic method. FA is easily done, sensitive, specific, and relatively inexpensive. It is extremely versatile. FA detects and identifies both etiologic agents of disease and host antibodies. A wide variety of infectious diseases can be rapidly diagnosed by FA. Kits and reagents for FA tests are commercially available, and many use highly specific monoclonal antibodies. Fluorescent acid fast stain is used for efficient diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. It also is used to detect Cryptosporidium parvum that causes epidemic diarrhea.
	Acridine orange vital stain is used in parasitology (malaria and filariasis diagnosis), exfoliative cytology (cancer), and biological research (tissue and cellular structures). Commercially available FA tests appear below. Sources for these can be provided with the DIN objective.
	Etiologic Agent of Disease Disease Caused Adenovirus, respiratory Adenovirus, enteric Bacillus anthracis Bordetella pertussis B. parapertussis Borrelia burgdorferi Brucella Candida Chlanydia trachomatis Coxiella burnetii Cryptosporidium parvum Cytomegalovirus Entamoeba histolytica Epstein-Barr virus Equine encephalitis virus Escherichia coli 0157:H-7 Gardenerella vaginalis Giardia lamblia Hepatitis B virus Herpes simplex virus Haemophilus influenzae Helicobacter pylori HIV HTLV Influenza virus Legionella pneumophila Leishmania Listeria monocytogenes Mumps virus Mycoplasma Neisseria gonorrhoeae Plasmodium falciparum Pneumocystis carinii Parainfluenza virus Rabies virus Respiratory syncytial virus Respiratory viruses Rickettsia conorii R. prowasekii R. rickettsii R. typhi Rotavirus Rubella virus Rubeola virus Salmonella spp. Streptococcus, groups A, B, C, D, F, G Toxoplasma gondii Treponema pallidum Trichomonas vaginalis Varicella-Zoster virus Yersinia enterocolitica Y. pestis Respiratory infection Diarrhea Anthrax Whooping cough Whooping cough Lyme disease Undulant fever Moniliasis, thrush Trachoma, venereal disease Respiratory infection Diarrhea, gasteroenteritis Pneumonitis, CNS disease Amoebic dystentery Infectious mononucleosis, cancer Encephalitis Diarrhea Vaginosis Diarrhea Hepatitis Genital and oral herpes sores Meningitis, pneumonia, sepsis Stomach ulcer AIDS Leukemia Influenza Pneumonia, Legionnaire's disease Kala azar, skin infection Meningitis, sepsis Mumps Pneumonia, venereal disease Gonorrhoea Malignant malaria AIDS pneumonia Bronchiolitis, pneumonia Rabies Bronchiolitis, pneumonia Pneumonia, respiratory infection Boutonneuse fever Epidemic typhus Rocky mountain spotted fever Murine typhus Diarrhea German measles Measles Gastroenteritis, enteric fever Pharyngitis, bacteremia, meningitis Meningitis, eye infections, pneumonitis Syphilis Venereal disease Chicken pox, shingles Diarrhea Plague Commercially available monoclonal antibodies can be used for doing indirect FA rapid tests to diagnose other infectious diseases (fluorescent anti-globulins commercially available). Some of these are: Etiologic Agent of Disease Disease Caused Bacillus anthracis Campylobacter jejuni Cryptococcus neoformans Clostridium perfringens Corynebacterium diphtheriae Mycobacterium laprae M. tuberculosis Neisseria meningitides Salmonella paratyphi A S. typhi Shigella boydii S. dysenteriae S. flexneri S. sonnei Trypanosoma cruzi T. gambiense Vibrio cholerae Anthrax Diarrhea Meningitis Diarrhea Diphtheria Leprosy Tuberculosis Meningitis Paratyphoid fever Typhoid fever Dysentery Dysentery Dysentery Dysentery Chagas' disease Sleeping sickness Cholera Polyclonal antibodies to these etiologic agents and others are also commercially available. Many of these are suitable for both direct and indirect FA tests.
	W.R. Sanborn Co. Low-Cost Fluorescence Microscopy P.O. Box 667, Solana Beach, California 92075, USA Tel. (858) 755-7385 . Fax (858) 259-6023 . Email: info@portmedtech.com
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