Microscopic Examination

Microscopic examination – a type of laboratory test that uses a microscope to study the structure and properties of objects that are invisible to the naked eye. It is widely used in medical, veterinary, biological, and other scientific fields to detect microorganisms, cells, tissues, and to identify the causes of various diseases.

Such an examination allows for the detection of infectious agents (e.g., microbes, viruses, or tuberculosis bacteria), cellular changes, or macro- and microscopic particles that may have diagnostic significance.

Through microscopic observations in veterinary medicine, many features of microbes can be determined:

• Morphological characteristics – size, shape, and arrangement.
• Tinctorial properties – the ability to stain with different dyes.
• Motility – under high magnification, it is possible to distinguish between mobile (sliding, crawling, swimming with flagella) and immobile (only moved by the flow of liquid) microorganisms.
• Spore formation – the fastest method to detect spores of an organism and conduct morphological studies of spores.
• Antigenic properties – based on the antigen-antibody reaction and the fluorescence of the resulting complex.
• DNA hybridization – allows for the identification of specific gene sequences on metaphase chromosomes or in interphase nuclei.