How to detect cat urine with an ultraviolet lamp. Wood's lamp - application in dermatology. Diagnostics with a Wood's lamp and how to do it yourself

Wood's lampis a fluorescent diagnostic lamp, the operating principle of which is based on the emission of light in a narrow long-wave spectrum of the ultraviolet range and produces almost no visible light. It is often called a black light lamp. Operating wavelength 365 nm.

In medicine, this is a device designed to diagnose skin conditions, including mycoses - fungal diseases and some types of dermatoses. The device is used in cosmetology clinics, skin clinics, and children's institutions for preventive examinations.
By the glow of the skin under the influence of the radiation of this device, you can determine its condition. Thus, healthy normal skin gives a light blue glow, violet indicates sensitive skin, indigo indicates dry skin. The lamp highlights inflamed areas of the skin with a white glow, and fungal lesions with a greenish glow. It is also used to examine the affected areas of the eyebrows, eyelashes, scalp, vellus hair, and nails.

Before starting the diagnosis, the patient’s skin is thoroughly cleaned, and the eyes are protected from direct exposure to the lamp. The examination is carried out in complete darkness from a distance of 15-20 cm, exposure time is no more than 2 minutes.

The source of ultraviolet light is most often two mercury-quartz lamps, the total power of which is 18 W. Often, a Wood's lamp has a built-in lens (2- or 3-fold magnification), which allows for an extremely detailed examination of the area under study and, accordingly, more reliably and efficiently perform fluorescent diagnostics.
Indications for use:

The illuminator can be used in individual households and farms, medical and veterinary institutions, as well as by other consumers for luminescent comparative analysis of various objects.

If precautions are taken, the Wood's lamp is safe for the patient and the diagnosing specialist. These devices, as a rule, are small in size (approximately 160x200x50 mm), weigh from 0.5 kg, are easy to use, and can be used even at home.

Peculiarities:

The device helps to make a differential diagnosis between diseases such as microsporia, trichophytosis, favus, rubrophytosis, lupus erythematosus, leukoplakia, candidiasis and even cancer. Today, diagnosing dermatological diseases with ultraviolet light sources is one of the most convenient and efficient methods. Unlike, for example, biochemical methods, Wood's lamp allows you to obtain results almost instantly and select the necessary and effective treatment options.

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 160*200*50 mm
• Operating wavelength, nm: 356
• Spectral range of luminescence excitation, nm: 340-380
• UV irradiance of the controlled surface, lux: 200+-20
• Energy consumption, W, no more: 60

Operating conditions:

• ambient temperature -+10...+30°С
• relative air humidity, no more than 80%
• atmospheric pressure, kPa/mmHg: 84…106/630...795
• mains supply voltage re- (220 ± 5)
• With a frequency of 50 Hz alternating current: according to GOST 1309-87
• operating mode: intermittent: 10 min - work, 5 min - break.

Luminescent diagnostics of fungal infections has been used in veterinary practice for a relatively long time. Already in the mid-80s, the Wood filter was adopted, which was successfully used in the work of regional veterinary stations and village veterinary hospitals.

The device itself was constantly improved, but the presence of the Wood filter in it remained unchanged. This device is well known to practicing veterinarians because, on the one hand, it is simple, and on the other, it can significantly simplify the diagnosis of skin diseases.

And today this method is widely used, since, at the request of the Veterinary Administration, every animal admitted to a veterinary clinic must be examined for preventive and (or) therapeutic purposes.

Due to the widespread prevalence of skin diseases in domestic animals and people (many of them are zooanthropanoses), high-quality diagnostics is especially relevant.

The most dangerous and virulent for humans are fungi of the genus Microsporum. Laboratory diagnosis of diseases caused by these pathogens requires quite a long time, which is necessary to make a conclusion based on the results of bacterial inoculation of pathological material on a nutrient medium (10-14, and in some cases - 30 days). Therefore, a method for rapid diagnosis of this pathology is urgently needed. This is fluorescent diagnostics using a device equipped with a special ultraviolet lamp and a Wood filter.

In animals, hair infected with the Microsporum fungus gives a characteristic emerald green glow when examined in a dark room with a Wood's lamp. Based on the results of the examination, the doctor can immediately warn the animal owner about the danger of the disease to humans and give recommendations for treatment and care. In this case, the biomaterial will be taken for laboratory research specifically from the affected areas, which give a specific glow, which facilitates the work of laboratory technicians, and most importantly, sharply reduces the likelihood of error. However, when diagnosing mycoses using a Wood's lamp, the following must be taken into account:
- diagnostics should be carried out in a completely darkened room;
- in animals with a black color, when infected with the Microsporum fungus, the glow may not be observed;
- hair infected with the fungi Trichophyton, Candida, Malassezia does not give a characteristic glow, therefore, based on luminescent diagnostics, mycosis cannot be denied. In this case, a laboratory test with the collection of biomaterial is necessary;
- since the glow may not be observed during the incubation period, it is necessary to repeat the examination after 10-14 days;
- the animal should not be treated externally with medications or cosmetics, as they can give a false positive glow, for example, tetracycline ointment.

This device is used in many areas, from forensics to the art of hidden drawings. UV radiation helps diagnose many skin diseases, fungal and bacterial infections, identify counterfeit banknotes and find organic traces at a crime scene. Read below about the benefits a Wood's lamp can bring to your household.

This is the name of a lamp whose glow is in the ultraviolet range, its light is faintly distinguishable, but organic substances, waste products of certain types of microbes and fungi begin to glow brightly in its light, the color of the glow from a fungal disease or, say, staphylococcus will be different.

The discovery of glass that transmits only ultraviolet rays (Wood’s glass) belongs to the American physicist Robert Williams Wood. He conducted research into the properties of infrared and ultraviolet radiation and created optics that made it possible to take photographs in this part of the spectrum. Wood took the first photographs of the moon in ultraviolet light.

This happened at the very beginning of the last century.

Where is Wood's lamp used?

• Forensics– “black lamp” allows you to find out a lot, for example, when examining a crime scene. In ultraviolet light, the slightest spots of physiological secretions are visible: blood, urine, semen, saliva - they fluoresce intensely in a dark room when examined using UV radiation.

• Determining the authenticity of documents and bank notes. There are special marks on documents and banknotes that appear in ultraviolet light and serve as protection against counterfeiting.
• Beauty Salons, use this device to determine skin type, inflammatory processes and the presence of skin infections in their clients, and based on this data they prescribe medicinal or caring cosmetics.

• Entertainment industry– ultraviolet scanning reveals tags that are used instead of tickets in nightclubs, discos, and music festivals. In ultraviolet light, the following glow brightly: patterns applied with special paints on skin or clothing that are not noticeable in sunlight, decorative fluorescent cosmetics and jewelry.

Wood's lamp or traditional tests?

Traditional tests require medical equipment, experienced laboratory assistants, expensive drugs, and most importantly: it takes a certain amount of time, which varies depending on the disease, from a day to a month.

An experienced doctor with a Wood's lamp will make a diagnosis in a few minutes, because the causative agents of infection and their waste products, even at the earliest stages, will glow brightly in ultraviolet rays, and by their hue you can accurately determine what the patient is sick with.

How can a Wood's lamp be useful in everyday life?

This device can bring considerable benefits at home. For example: if you have a cat that sometimes marks, and you cannot always determine the source of the smell, then using this device you will easily find all the “surprises”. or any other object will glow yellow or greenish.

The advice of the authors of the website “Modern Housekeeping” in the articles: “The cat marked the slippers?” will help you remove stains and unpleasant odors. And How ".

During inspection of surfaces, many invisible stains may appear. Let's say stain removers: they also glow, but have a more purple hue than organics. Once the marks are detected, it will not be difficult to wash them off with any preparation with enzymes. You can also easily find traces of other organic contaminants in any corner of the house.

Using such a device, you can check at home the authenticity of banknotes and documents that use fluorescent security marks.

Hand Made artists use this device to create hidden designs and fluorescent decorations.

At home, you can independently find out at an early stage about the onset of diseases of the skin and mucous membranes. Of course, the final diagnosis and treatment should be prescribed by the attending physician. But instead of an expensive test, which does not always give a positive result at the beginning of the disease (precisely when treatment is most effective), you can use a “black light lamp” and find out everything about the condition of your skin, the skin of your loved ones and pets.

Normal skin will glow light blue when examined with a Wood's lamp; a brighter blue glow may indicate that the skin is dry and requires additional care. Inflamed areas will glow white, and sensitive skin will glow purple. Oily skin will give a yellow halo.

How to use a Wood's lamp?

1. The examination is carried out in a dark room without windows.
2. Everyone in the room wears special safety glasses, which can be purchased complete with the lamp.
3. No medications are applied to the patient’s skin for 24 hours before the test. Ointments, creams and other pharmacological and cosmetic products have their own glow and can distort the clinical picture.
4. There is no need to wash or disinfect the affected area before the examination.
5. Before starting diagnostics, warm up the device for at least a minute.
6. They affect the skin and mucous membranes from a distance of 8-15 cm.

Wood lamp buy

You can purchase such a lamp at an electrical goods store, or order it specifically online on the clinical equipment website. The medical device is equipped with a reflector and a magnifying glass for more accurate examination of the affected areas of the dermis; sometimes glasses and a black case are included.

“Black light lamps” are produced in Russia: NPO LIT (Moscow), LLC VNISI (Moscow). OJSC Lisma-VNIIIIS (Saransk), OJSC SKB Ksenon (Zelenograd). Foreign manufacturers: (Philips, Radium, LightTech, Sylvania, Osram, etc.) The cost varies depending on the manufacturer and configuration from 25 before 65 $.

The smell of cat urine is strong and unpleasant, but sometimes urine stains can be difficult to detect! Luckily, you don't have to rely solely on your nose to find the source of an odor. Instead, you can use an ultraviolet lamp. If you illuminate a space in a dark room with such a lamp, the cat’s urine will begin to glow yellow-green, which will make it much easier to find the spot. Once you find a stain, neutralize the urine with an enzymatic cleaner.

Steps

Part 1

Buy or borrow an ultraviolet lamp with a wavelength of 365–385 nm (nanometers). For best results, look for a handheld LED flashlight with 9-12 bulbs. The wavelength should be between 365–385 nm. A lower value will not be enough to highlight the cat urine, and a higher value will be too close to natural light and you will not notice the stains.

• You can purchase an ultraviolet lamp at a hardware store or online.
• You can also find UV flashlights with fluorescent bulbs. If they indicate a wavelength in the range of 365–385 nm, then they will also be effective, but LED flashlights are still more powerful.

Did you know? Nanometers are used to measure the visible light spectrum, or the light that the human eye can detect.

Wait until late in the evening so that the room is as dark as possible. Although you can try keeping your windows tightly covered with curtains, it may be easier to wait until it gets dark outside to use the UV lamp. When you are ready to begin work, turn off the lights in the room you are inspecting, as well as in adjacent rooms and hallways.

• If the room is not dark enough, your eyes will not be able to notice the illuminated urine.

1. Go to the area where you suspect urine may be and turn on the ultraviolet lamp. Typically, a cat urine stain is located approximately where the unpleasant odor is coming from, but sometimes it takes a little looking around to determine the source of the odor. To make your search for a spot more effective, start in the area where your cat is likely to go to the toilet, and then move further to the sides.

   Notice the glowing yellow or neon green spot. When ultraviolet light comes into contact with cat urine, it will begin to glow. Depending on the amount of urine and its actual location, it may be a stain, puddle, splash or streak.

   Move the lamp back and forth, checking different surfaces. Cats are sometimes capable of using a variety of surfaces as a toilet, so you shouldn’t limit yourself to just checking the floor. Move the lamp slowly from side to side, checking areas along walls and door frames, the tops and sides of furniture, and bedding.

   • If you don't spot the stains right away, slowly start moving away from the source of the odor.

2. Mark the boundaries of the spot so you know where to look for it later. You will probably have difficulty remembering the exact position, size and shape of the spot when you turn on normal lighting. To accurately mark the area that you need to clean, use tape or chalk to outline the perimeter of the spot.

   • It's a good idea to scrub a slightly larger surface area than what you noticed under the UV light, just in case the stain has been absorbed and spread internally. For this reason, you should not worry about accurately determining the boundaries of the spot. Just put small marks on the top, bottom and sides of the stained area so you know its location.

3. Blot the stain with a damp cloth. After enough time has passed for the water to soak the stain, blot it with a clean, damp cloth. Work from the outer edges of the area towards the center to avoid expanding the urine stain beyond the original boundaries.

   • If you're trying to clean something that shouldn't be wet for a long time, like leather or wood, skip the soaking step and just blot it as best you can with a damp cloth. Then let the affected area dry completely.

4. Spray the stain with an enzymatic cleaner and leave for 20 minutes. There are a number of different household cleaning products available on the market, but to completely neutralize cat urine, you will need an enzymatic cleaner. Saturate the area to be cleaned with the cleaner, making sure to apply it beyond the original edges of the stain in case the urine did spread during soaking. Instructions for specific cleaning products may vary, but these sprays generally do not require subsequent removal.

   • Enzyme cleaners can be purchased at a pet store or hardware store, or you can even make your own if you prefer.
   • Be sure to read the instructions for the product to make sure it is safe for the surface you are going to use it on. Test the spray in an inconspicuous area to make sure it will not damage the surface of the item you are cleaning. Enzyme cleaners are usually quite gentle when compared to other cleaning products.
   • If the item you are cleaning cannot be wet, you can find powdered enzyme cleaners.

   Advice: If you are cleaning materials such as wood or leather, read the instructions on the cleaner to ensure it is safe for use on those surfaces.

A diagnostic examination is the first thing a patient encounters in any pathological condition. The correct diagnosis, the choice of treatment method, and its effectiveness depend on the diagnosis. It also plays an important role in dermatology.

Wood's lamp - what is it?

At the beginning of the last century (1903) in Baltimore, physicist Robert Wood invented a device that began to be called by his name - blacklight lamp wood. Since then, the device has been used in the diagnosis of skin diseases in dermatology and cosmetology. A Wood's lamp is a lamp based on the emission of “black light”. The radiation source is an ultraviolet lamp with long-wave radiation.

The modern device has undergone significant changes compared to the first samples. It is made on the same principle as a fluorescent lamp, but for a black light lamp they use glass with the addition of nickel and cobalt oxides (uviolet glass). Wood's glass is very dark and almost does not allow ordinary light to pass through. To obtain an emission peak in the range of up to 371 or 353 nm, a phosphor (strontium, boron, or barium silicate doped with lead) is used.

Wood's lamp diagnostics

The principle of using the device for diagnostics is that ultraviolet waves, when they hit the affected areas of the skin containing fungal molecules and toxic microelements, cause intense illumination of different colors. The glow of the lamp itself is not visible to the naked eye; it shines in a dark purple color. The examination takes little time; a fluorescent lamp helps to identify the affected areas.

Wood's lamp diagnostics are carried out as follows:

• the skin is thoroughly cleaned in advance of any residues of cosmetics, ointments, etc.;
• immediately before the procedure, the skin should not be washed or wiped;
• the patient's eyes are covered with a cloth bandage / special glasses;
• the device is placed at a distance of 20 cm from the surface;
• Luminescent diagnostics are carried out in less than a minute in complete darkness.

A black light lamp helps to determine skin lesions not only on its smooth areas, but also under the hair, nails, and mucous membranes. Dermatology and cosmetology use a lamp to identify and determine diseases such as fungal infections, favus, lupus, dermatosis, candidiasis, some oncological tumors and others. The only contraindication for diagnostics is indicated in the manufacturer's instructions by the presence of fresh wounds or open lesions on the skin.

Wood's lamp in dermatology - glow colors

The Wood's lamp provides invaluable assistance in diagnosis in dermatology. It colors the skin in different colors. A fluorescent black lamp is capable of emitting ultraviolet rays with a narrow focus. A special color table allows a dermatologist to determine the infection of a particular affected area of ​​the skin; it is a list of diseases and a list of colors when glowing. Here are some of the diseases and the colors of the glow:

• microsporia – yellow-green or emerald color;
• versicolor - dull yellow glow;
• fungal disease - green light;
• deficiency of melanin in the skin – brown;
• pityriasis versicolor – yellow, brown;
• lichen planus - glow with a brown-yellow reflection;
• leukoplakia – green light;
• acne - orange-red glow;
• oncology – red light;
• no infection, healthy skin – blue glow, sapphire color.

The list goes on, and for any disease, the device will allow you to make a timely diagnosis and begin treatment, be it a hyperpigmented or hypopigmented area of ​​skin that requires close attention and constant monitoring. The device is small, so it is easy to use at home, in a clinic, or in a dispensary.

How to make a Wood's lamp at home

A lamp for detecting lichen is necessary at home if you have a small child or pets. The Wood's lamp is made by hand to avoid unnecessary expenses. This model is cheaper than factory ones and will not cost much, but remember that some types of lichen do not glow. With the device, you will be able to monitor how lichen is being treated and diagnose the disease yourself. It will not look much like a photo of a professional device, but it will cope with simple tasks. Necessary:

• buy a black ultraviolet fluorescent light bulb;
• as a body you can take the simplest lamp for daylight;
• To prevent the light from shining into your eyes, build a canopy out of foil or purchase a protective screen;
• At the same time, buy glasses, you can take a model for dentists or for a quartz lamp.