Microscopes for fec

[starden]

Hello

Can anyone give me a spec/ make on what I need for DIY fec counting. Don't want to buy something I don't need.

Cheers

 

[Shadow]

I asked this not long ago. Ended up with a second hand binocular Vickers microscope with mechanical stage off ebay. You need it to magnify to 100x

The McMaster slides are the expensive bit!

 

[Keepers]

@Tim W @MRT @Mcnulty24

 

[andybk]

ebay every time , unless you have a carboot nearby and very lucky

 

[MRT]

Eggs are easy to see, anything with a moveable stage is fine. Fleabayed our one

 

[Mcnulty24]

Old school microscope here, as long as it does x100 (x10 on the eye piece and a x10 lens). Mirror for a light source, stage doesn't move, i just move the slide along the lines on the slide. Works fine but nothing fancy.

 

[Danllan]

We just bought one via ebay, a refurbished ex-college binocular Olympus CH20 sold by planetzorkman who's service is excellent. Movable stage and decent light makes a big difference; we bought the McMaster slides from India via Canada, I think they were about £40 + postage, they were from bioslides42.

 

[starden]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262632848804

 

[starden]

Is that any use?

 

[Danllan]

Looks alright, the chap we bought from gives a warranty, see if your seller will. I really recommend Olympus, I used them for my first degree and - providing they have been maintained - they are robust and very good optically (which is probably why Uni's use them).

 

[Downton_shep]

Just be aware some of the machanical stages are bigger than others! I had to modify one of my slides so I could see all the grid!

 

[GrannyAching]

I've got a spare slide if anyone wants it pm me, please.

 

[ISCO]

Are there courses to teach how to do own fecs or can you learn online. How difficult is it once you have some experience.

 

[Tim W]

Are there courses to teach how to do own fecs or can you learn online. How difficult is it once you have some experience.

It's easy enough---if you are anywhere near me then drop by and I will show you the ropes

 

[bovine]

Any of the known brands will be better 2nd hand - Olympus, Zeiss, Leica, than a crap Chinese new one.

A mechanical stage is essential, an integral light source is very useful.

Doing the egg count is quite straightforward, but you need to be very accurate and precise. The skill comes in the interpretation.

 

[Tim W]

Integral light source can be good but I like mine to be mobile (not reliant on mains power) that way I can gather lambs and do a FEC in the field rather than have to come home ....saves lots of messing around
So a torch does just as good a job IMO

 

[ISCO]

Thanks but I am in northern England.

 

[ISCO]

Light source point is a good one as we have sheep on rented grazing and a torch would be easier as Tim W says.

 

[bovine]

you could run off a small inverter and your cigarette lighter socket if you need portable.

 

[Dry Rot]

This has been covered before.

http://www.rvc.ac.uk/review/parasitology/eggcount/Principle.htm

http://www.vetslides.com/two-chamber-mcmaster-counting-slides

Several sites describe the procedure and acrylic slides are available and not expensive. Chalex will take a credit card and ship air mail. They won't break when you drop them (or drive the lens of the microscope through one!) either,

Be aware that bulbs for older microscopes can be expensive and hard to get. Mine used a half silvered bulb that cost £40 a time! I got three in succession, each one arrived broken, so I gave up. Fortunately, there is good information on the net on how to convert them to LED. I simply removed the bulb and guts from mine and replaced it with three AA batteries, a small circuit, and an LED. Works perfectly and is of course portable.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...efox-b-ab&gfe_rd=cr&ei=pdfkV-H4J8zU8gfS8q2ABg