Manual of Basic Techniques for a Health Laboratory

This is the new edition of the WHO laboratory manual which incorporates recent developments in procedures and techniques useful to small laboratories in developing countries. It provides a practical guide to the safe and accurate performance of basic laboratory techniques and identifies simple, economical procedures that can yield accurate results with limited resources in hot, humid climates. Issues covered include: the use of a microscope and laboratory balances, centrifugation, measurement and dispensing of liquids, cleaning and sterilisation of equipment, disposal of laboratory waste, dispatch of specimens to reference laboratories and laboratory safety; examining different specimens for helminths, protozoa, bacteria and fungi, and techniques for the preparation, fixation and staining of smears; the examination of urine, cerebrospinal fluid and blood, including techniques based on immunological and serological principles.