I am going to establish a small home biology laboratory for isolation and culture of bacteria (usually soil bacteria). I don't want to pay that much to buy biological safety cabinet (hood), so how can minimize the contamination on my work desk? can I install a normal hood with a UV light instead of biological safety cabinet?
Sources of contamination are air, surface and handling, so your skill plays an important role as a source of contamination, I mean handling of test tubes flasks and pipettes especially that contain culture media. In microbiology courses the staff members evaluate the students according the ability of correct way they handling the bacteriological equipments and glass wares. So you have to limit air flows as you can, clean and disinfect the bench or desk just few minutes before the work and again after finishing the work, use flame to have a sterile area for work. You can install a simple glass hood 80-100 cm lengths with a moveable door (up and down) and of course with a flame inside and you can fix UV lamp for area sterilization before you work but direct exposure to UV is dangerous so you have to put it off during the working time. Finally, as I said your skill is an important factor for contamination limitation.
If you can make provision for clean air by using a HEPA filter and control the air circulation you may not need a safety cabinet. You can always check this by keeping an agar plate in the cabinet and incubating the same at 37oC overnight to see any bacterial growth due to contamination
I can suggest you, One simple way of avoiding contamination in working area by using a spirit lamp. This is simple and sensitive method.
Spirit lamp may help in minimising the contamination but not completely if the air around the work area is contaminated
First make surface sterilization by washing the table with alcohol and also spirit lamp will help to minimize the contamination. I think Bunsen burner (two) instead of spirit lamp will help you more in this regard. Clean your hand with alcohol is also a necessary step. And finally inoculate the bacterial strain to the new medium keeping your hand very close to the flame. Good luck.
Yes, you can. Disinfection and bunsen burner are necessary for the proper work. It is the best to use desinfection before and after your work. Before your work it is necesary to moist your table to eliminate dust in the air. Also, prior to work, you can use UV germicid light.
This is very challenging one. because in a well established cabinet or hood you cannot stop the contamination. and it is due to mainly handling and surrounding.if you are avoiding these two things, you can do all.
There are three things to take care about. First is surface. Select a work surface that is smooth, and nonreactive. Clean it with alcohol swab. Second is to control air current. Select a place that is air-locked. No windows, one door that u can close. Don't use fan/AC. Third is when you do culture transfer you need to maintain asepsis. For this you can have a gas cylinder and use Bunsen burner. Always work within six inches of blue flame of burner. All these is tricky, not impossible. Lastly try these for environmental samples not for clinical samples.
your idea regarding establish a working platform free from Bacteria, Fungi and virus. few things to be considered like, use 70 % alcohol for wipe hand and working platform, mask, burner/ spirit lamp, air control system.
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