Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, US.
Department of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, US.
Ann Glob Health. 2020 Feb 13;86(1):16. doi: 10.5334/aogh.2585.
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.
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.
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.
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%).
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.
为了准确诊断传染病，需要清洁且功能正常的显微镜。在热带气候下，高湿度水平和不当的储存条件会导致诊断设备（如显微镜）的光学元件上积聚碎屑和真菌。
我们的目标是开发和实施一种低成本、可持续、易于管理、低维护、被动的湿度控制室，以减少显微镜光学元件上的碎屑积累和微生物生长。
用易于获得且本地可用的材料建造，每个湿度控制室的成本约为 2.35 美元。从部署在伯利兹矢量和生态学中心和伯利兹大学的两个湿度控制室中，每 30 分钟记录一次相对湿度，持续 10 周。
部署在伯利兹大学的湿度控制室在 10 周内将内部相对湿度平均保持在 35.3%（SD=4.2%），而外部平均相对湿度为 86.4%（SD=12.4%）。部署在伯利兹矢量和生态学中心的湿度控制室在 10 周内有效地将内部相对湿度平均保持在 54.5%（SD=9.4%），而外部平均相对湿度为 86.9%（SD=12.9%）。
控制相对湿度对于热带气候下医疗设备的可持续性至关重要。湿度控制室将相对湿度降低到不利于真菌生长的水平，同时减少了显微镜从外部来源的污染。这将可能延长显微镜的使用寿命，同时利用低成本、本地来源的组件。
