The Canadian Press is reporting that a microscope "capable of diagnosing intestinal parasites in Tanzanian children" has been concocted successfully from an iPhone, double-sided tape, a cheap ball lens, and a flashlight.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Toronto General Hospital physician, told the Canadian Press that the microscope is "portable, it's relatively cheap, it's very easy to use. And it could be very useful in resource-poor settings that are remote or rural."
The article states that "Bogoch and colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute at the University of Basel, and the Pemba Public Health Laboratory in Tanzania field tested the device and reported their findings Monday in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene."
They found that the microscopes could be modified to pick up about 80 per cent of infections found in children in developing countries. The microscopes allow physicians to detect the eggs that develop into the parasites responsible for infections. The usual apparatus used to detect these eggs costs $200 and requires electricity, making it hard to access in rural areas, the article reports.
The scientists in this study used an $8 ball lens and attached it to the camera of an iPhone with double-sided tape. They expect a slightly more expensive ball lens to generate better results.
"Our goal really was to use the simplest and cheapest options available," says Bogoch in the article. "We really wanted to be as pragmatic as possible. Because ultimately, the goal is to use these products and use these devices in real world settings."
Read the full report
here.
Original Source: Global News