Dsa 281

WHO Regional Publications, Eastern Mediterranean Series 28
Fluorescence microscopy
for disease diagnosis and
environmental monitoring
Warren R. Sanborn
Solana Beach, California, USA
Claus Chr. Heuck
World Health Organization
Raja El Aouad
Institut national dHygine, Rabat, Morocco
Wulf B. Storch
Weinheim, Germany
World Health Organization

Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
Cairo
2005
WHO Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Sanborn, Warren R.
Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring / by Warren R. Sanborn.. [et
al.] ..
p. (WHO Regional Publications, Eastern Mediterranean Series; 28)
ISBN : 978-92-9021-395-6
1.Microscopy, Fluorescence 2.Fluorescent Antibody Technique I.Heuck, Claus Chr.II.El Aouad, Raja.III.
Storch, Wulf B. IV.Title V. WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean VI. Series
(NLM Classification: QH 212)
Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis

and environmental monitoring
World Health Organization 2005
All rights reserved.
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Cover design by John Shimwell
Printed by Toshka, Cairo
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Abbreviations
Glossary
5
7
9
11
1.
1.1
1.2
1.3
Introduction
Principle of fluorescence
Primary and secondary fluorescence
Fluorescence in microscopy specimens
13
14
15
16
2.
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
Applications of fluorescence microscopy

Medical disease diagnosis and monitoring
Monitoring of the environment
Food sanitation and safety
Biological research
19
21
21
22
23
3.
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
Equipment for fluorescence microscopy

Basic fluorescence microscope parts
Compound light microscopes for fluorescence microscopy
Light sources for fluorescence microscopy
Light filters for fluorescence microscopy
25
25
26
32
34
4.
4.1
4.2
4.3
37
37
37
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
Practical fluorescence microscopy

Bright-field versus fluorescence microscopy
Epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy
Basic equipment and supplies for epi-illumination fluorescence
microscopy
Set-up and adjusting an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope
Using an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope
Inexpensive transmitted light fluorescence microscopy
Concentrating specimens for fluorescence microscopy
38
40
41
42
44
5.
5.1
5.2
Fluorochromes
Properties of fluorochromes
Filter sets for commonly used fluorochromes
47
47
49
6.
6.1
6.2
Use of fluorochromes
Acridine orangediagnostic uses
Fluorescent acid-fast staining for diagnosing acid-fast bacterial
infections
51
52
Principles of immunofluorescence microscopy

Procedures for fluorescent antibody staining
Fluorochromes for fluorescent antibody conjugates
Counterstains and counterstaining
Controls of undesirable fluorescence and non-specific reactions
85
86
90
91
93
7.
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
65
Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring
7.5
7.6
7.7
7.8
7.9
Control of pH
Preventing fluorescence fading (photobleaching)
Fixatives and fixation methods
Direct fluorescent antibody tests for infectious disease diagnosis
Indirect immunofluorescence tests (IFA)
95
96
99
101
128
8.
8.1
8.2
8.3
Fluorescence microscopy for environmental monitoring

Examination for microorganisms in the environment
Testing water for microorganisms
Testing air for microorganisms
151
151
157
169
9.
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
9.8
9.9
9.10
9.11
Preparation and fluorochrome labelling of antibodies

Representative methods for antiserum preparation
Purification of gamma globulins
Globulin concentration with polyethylene glycol
Conjugation of immunoglobulin with fluorochromes
Removal of unreacted dye from fluorescent antibody conjugates
Preventing non-specific staining
Counterstain
Immunohistochemical staining of pre-stained tissue sections
Unmasking antigens in formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues
Storage of reagents, conjugates, antisera, and blood serum specimens
Sticking tissue sections to slides
173
175
188
191
192
201
207
213
217
219
228
229
10. Characterization of antisera and conjugates

10.1 Methods for characterizing conjugates
235
235
11.
History of fluorescence microscopy
243
12.
12.1
12.2
12.3
12.4
12.5
12.6
12.7
Annexes
Suppliers of fluorescence microscopes
Suppliers of fluorescence conversion kits for microscopes
Suppliers of fluorescent antibody conjugates, kits and antisera
Suppliers of chemicals and fluorochromes
Suppliers of fluorescence microscopy supplies
Suppliers of auto-immune disease test reagents
Monoclonal fluorescent antibody conjugates to detect infectious
antigens
Polyclonal fluorescent antibody conjugates to detect infectious antigens
Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies for indirect fluorescent
antibody tests
Direct fluorescent antibody test kits for detecting infectious antigens
Indirect fluorescent antibody test kits for infectious disease antibodies
Anti-species globulin conjugates for indirect fluorescent antibody tests
Preparation of saline solutions, buffers, fluorochrome stains,
miscellaneous reagents and tests
245
245
246
247
253
254
255
12.8
12.9
12.10
12.11
12.12
12.13
13.
13.1
13.2
13.3
Bibliography
Fluorochrome dye fluorescence microscopy applications
Fluorescent antibody applications
Supporting literature
256
257
259
261
262
263
264
291
291
307
321
Foreword
Fluorescence microscopy has, for some time now, enhanced the microscopic
diagnosis and monitoring of both communicable and noncommunicable diseases.
It has entered many other fields also, especially those in the health sciences,
including food safety and research. The latest fluorescent microscopes are much
less expensive and more easily transported than the older versions, making the
technology affordable now for small laboratory and public health settings in
developing countries.
This comprehensive publication provides laboratory specialists with all the
up-to-date information necessary to purchase and use a fluorescence microscope,
including suppliers to approach. It addresses, in detail, technical issues such as
the equipment itself and the reagents used, principles of immuno-fluorescence
microscopy and last, but certainly not least, the use of such microscopy in clinical
laboratory diagnosis.
Fluorescence microscopy for diagnosis and environmental monitoring
confirms fluorescence microscopy as a rapid and cost-effective diagnostic tool for
countries with limited resources, and as an invaluable technique that has been tested
and validated by experts around the world and, above all, by laboratory practitioners
in the field. I strongly recommend its use among central public health laboratories
in developing countries.
FRCS
Hussein A. Gezairy MD
Regional Director for
Preface
In countries with limited resources simple, rapid and cost-effective diagnostic

techniques are a key element for improving medical and public health laboratory
services at district and peripheral levels. In these laboratories, bright-field
microscopy still remains the primary diagnostic technique. Rarely has it been
displaced by other, more modern techniques because these are usually more
complex and require a continuous line of logistical support. However, there are
certain technologies that do fulfil the technical and logistical requirements of these
laboratories and should enjoy a routine role in improving diagnostic efficiency. One
of these is fluorescence microscopy.
Fluorescence microscopy has proved to be a useful and cost-effective
procedure for surveillance of disease outbreaks and for diagnosis of a wide range
of both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Fluorescence microscopy
is almost as simple and rapid to do as bright-field microscopy, and often it is also
more specific. However, fluorescence microscopy requires additional investment
in equipment. In the past, the high cost of fluorescence microscopes has prevented
the wider application of this method. More recently, less expensive fluorescence
microscopes have been developed, and accessories now are available that convert an
existing bright-field microscope into a fluorescence microscope. This development
places fluorescence microscopy in a favourable position as a method that can be
used by smaller laboratories with limited resources to enhance their effectiveness
at affordable cost.
The World Health Organizations Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
is convinced that laboratories should take more advantage of fluorescence
microscopy. This manual provides basic information on fluorescence microscopy
and an overview of many simple and cost-effective applications for diagnosing
diseases and monitoring environmental contamination by laboratories, even at
district or peripheral levels.
Abbreviations
Ab
AFB
Ag
antibody
acid-fast bacilli
antigen
BAM
bright-field acid-fast microscopy
BSA
bovine serum albumin
CBS
carbonate-buffered saline
CFU
colony forming unit
DANS
1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonic acid
DAPI
4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindol hydrochloride
DFA
direct fluorescent antibody
DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid
EMEM
Eagles minimum essential medium
FA
fluorescent antibody
FAM
fluorescence acid-fast microscopy
FDA
fluorescein diacetate
FITC
fluorescein isothiocyanate
FM
fluorescence microscopy
IF
immunofluorescence
IFA
indirect fluorescence antibody
im.
intramuscular
10
iv.
intravenous
litre
molar
mL
millilitre
NA
numerical aperture
NAC
nm
N-acetylcysteine
nanometre
NSS
non-specific staining
PBS
phosphate-buffered saline
RB 200
rhodamine B 200
RNA
ribonucleic acid
sc.
TRITC
subcutaneous
tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate
URI
upper respiratory tract infections
UV
ultraviolet
Glossary
Affinity: tendency of certain substances or their compounds to unite with other

substances and form new compounds.
Antigen: a substance, usually a protein or carbohydrate, capable of stimulating an
immune response in an animal.
Antibody: any of an animals immunoglobulins that are produced in response to
an antigen and are able to counteract the affects of the stimulating antigen by
neutralizing toxins, agglutinating cells or precipitating soluble antigen; i.e., an
animals body defence mechanism.
Autoantibody: an antibody directed against a patients own body tissue.
Autofluorescence: synonymous with self, natural or primary fluorescence. The
appearance of fluorescence in tissues or materials that have not been treated
with labelled conjugates.
Fluorochrome: a chemical compound that emits fluorescent light after exposure to
shorter wavelength (higher energy) light (usually ultraviolet, purple, blue or
green).
Heterologous: derived from a different substance, i.e. antigen or antibody.
Homologous: reaction of an antibody or antigen with the corresponding specific
antigen or antibody.
Monoclonal antibody: antibody derived from a single cell clone.
Monovalent antigen or antibody: antigen or antibody having only one site at which
it can become attached to an antibody or antigen, respectively.
Nonspecific staining (NSS): a result of nonimmunological staining by fluorochrome
1. Introduction
Fluorescence is light produced by a substance when it is stimulated by another

light. It is cold light because it does not come from a hot source such as the
filament of an incandescent light bulb. Fluorescence is a short-term event; the
fluorescent substance produces light only while it is being stimulated.
Fluorescence microscopy is a way to discover facts about specimens that often
are not visible to bright-field microscopy. In bright-field microscopy, specimens are
illuminated from the outside, from below or above. In bright-field microscopy dark
objects are seen against a light background. In fluorescence microscopy, specimens
are self-illuminated by internal light, so fluorescence shows bright objects in vivid
colour against a dark background. Bright objects against dark backgrounds are
more easily seen. Since the light comes from within the specimen, internal structures
and certain substances can be seen and located. These characteristics make
fluorescence microscopy a very sensitive and specific tool.
Fluorescence microscopy is used in medicine, environmental studies, food
sanitation, biological research, education and industry. One of the main applications
is for rapid medical diagnosis. Fluorescent staining is commonly used to improve
tuberculosis diagnosis efficiency as well as for malaria diagnosis, for early detection
of bacteria in blood cultures, and to detect and identify nucleic acids by colour.
Fluorescent antibodies provide a wide variety of immunologically specific, rapid
diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. In certain cases, detecting and identifying
disease-causing organisms is only possible by fluorescence microscopy because
some organisms cannot be cultured easily or the organisms in a specimen are dead.
Air and water samples are easily tested for microbial contamination using
fluorescence microscopy. Organisms trapped from these specimens on the surface
14
of membrane filters can be quickly detected and identified in place, without need
for culture. Environment monitoring by this method is easy and very efficient.
Fluorescence microscopy is efficient for direct counting of microorganisms in
food and dairy products. It is used to test both raw and pasteurized milk and is about
100 times more sensitive than standard culture methods. Fluorescence detection of
microorganisms on membrane filters is also used to control the quality of wine and
potable water.
The advantages of fluorescence microscopy are due to its sensitivity,
specificity, adaptability and easy use. Reliability is high because it is simple and can
be well controlled.
This makes fluorescence microscopy a very useful tool for teaching biology.
The brilliant colours of fluorescence seen in illuminated specimens are very
memorable for students.
The equipment needed for fluorescence microscopy ranges from very complex
microscopes to relatively simple devices, most bright-field microscopes can be easily
converted into fluorescence microscopes.
Using fluorescence microscopy can reduce laboratory testing costs.
Fluorochrome dyes are effective at very dilute concentrations, 1:10 000 or greater.
Thus, the cost per test is low. When detecting bacteria in blood cultures,
fluorescence microscopy can replace expensive and slow subculturing, saving both
time and expensive culture media. It considerably reduces time per test, further
reducing costs. For example, examining a tuberculosis sputum slide by the standard
ZiehlNeelsen stain requires 1520 minutes. Using fluorescent acid-fast stain, the
time for investigation can be reduced to 23 minutes. In many other ways, specific
and sensitive fluorescence microscopy can replace certain conventional
bacteriological culture uses, reducing costs. Laboratories can easily improve their
services by using fluorescence microscopy, which saves time in laboratory testing
to detect pathogenic microorganisms that other methods may miss.
1.1 Principle of fluorescence

Light is electromagnetic energy that moves through space as massless
particles called photons. Light may also be thought of as moving in waves with high
Introduction
15
and low points. The distance between a point on one wave, for example the peak,
and the same peak on the next wave is the called the wavelength. The energy is
inversely proportional to the wavelengththe shorter the wavelength, the more
energy. Wavelengths of the visible light spectrum range from about 400 nm to 750
nm. Different light wavelengths of visible light are seen by humans as different
colours. The wavelengths of some basic colours are: violet: 420 nm; blue: 480 nm;
green: 520 nm; yellow: 590 nm; orange: 630 nm; and red: 660 nm. Longer
wavelengths of light above 750 nm are invisible light called infrared Shorter
wavelengths of light below 400 nm are a higher energy invisible light called
ultraviolet. Near ultraviolet means wavelengths just shorter than 400 nm, and far
ultraviolet means even shorter wavelengths, about 350 nm and less. Infrared light
has relatively low energy and low penetrating power, while the shorter-wavelength
ultraviolet light has greater energy and penetrating power. The energy spectrum
continues, and radiation with wavelengths shorter than ultraviolet light, such as
gamma rays and X-rays, have still more energy and deeper penetrating power.
When light radiation of high enough energy strikes a substance that can
fluoresce, the substance absorbs that energy and converts a small part of it into
vibrational energy (i.e. heat). The energy that is not absorbed by the substance is
emitted again as light (Figure 1.1). The emitted light is called fluorescent light. The
wavelength of the emitted light is always longer than the wavelength of the
generating light. This phenomenon is called Stokes shift. Fluorescence is short
duration, and fluorescent substances emit light without noticeable delay and only
while being stimulated.
1.2 Primary and secondary fluorescence

A fluorescent substance can be excited by invisible ultraviolet light, and it will
emit longer-wavelength visible light, for example, violet, blue, green or red light.
However, many fluorescent substances are also excited by visible violet, blue or
green light. In fact, visible light is more often used to stimulate fluorescence than
invisible ultraviolet light. The commonly used dye fluorescein is a good example.
Exciting this fluorescent dye with blue light yields yellow-green fluorescence light.
Substances that can be activated to fluoresce are called fluorochromes.
Fluorochromes may be naturally present in biological materials or may be artificially
16
Figure 1.1 Scheme showing the origin of fluorescence radiation
introduced into these materials. Fluorescence emission from untreated materials is

known as primary, natural, self- or autofluorescence. When fluorescent substances
are artificially introduced into a specimen, the emitted light is called secondary
fluorescence. Fluorochromes should, when possible, be specific for those structures
or molecules that are of special diagnostic interest.
1.3 Fluorescence in microscopy specimens

Most biomedical specimens (cells, tissues and microorganisms) do not have
useful primary fluorescence. Thus, to observe fluorescence in most biological
specimens by microscopy, they first must be stained with a fluorochrome. The
ultimate goal of staining specimens with fluorochromes is to get specific
fluorescence that makes certain areas of a specimen clearly visible.
Structures in some plant tissues show primary fluorescence in different colours
making these structures stand out in vivid detail. However, at times natural primary
fluorescence (autofluorescence) can interfere with clinical specimen or animal
Introduction
17
tissue section examination. Protein in tissue sections or specimen slide smears often
fluoresces a dull blue. This autofluorescence can be overcome with a fluorescent
counterstain. On the other hand, autofluorescence can be helpful for locating the
field of view, especially in negative slides. Thus, autofluorescence is a mixed
blessing.
2. Applications of fluorescence
microscopy
A fluorescence microscope delivers the exciting light to the specimen,

separates the emitted fluorescence light from the exciting light and provides a high
contrast image. It permits users to easily see very small cells and their contents in
microscopic specimens with outstanding detail. Fluorescence microscopy often
reveals features in a specimen that cannot be seen by standard bright-light
microscopy, especially internal structures. As a result of the exceptionally low
fluorochrome concentrations needed for secondary fluorescence (1:10 000 or
higher), fluorochromes are safely used to examine living tissue and microorganisms.
Fluorescence microscopy applications are outlined in Table 2.1
Fluorescence microscopy offers a number of advantages, especially for medical
diagnostic tests. These are as follows.
Easy. Preparing and staining fluorescence test specimens is as easy as, or

easier than, conventional slide staining. Examining fluorescent specimens is
easy because the contrast is excellent.
Sensitive. Due to the relatively bright fluorescent image against a dark

background, small objects are easy to see.
Specific. By using modern fluorochromes and interference light filters, high

specificity for details is possible.
Rapid. Specimens can be examined directly on a slide, often without any prior
purification or concentration.
Reliable. Good reliability and accuracy of microscopic analysis are due to the
high sensitivity and specificity of fluorescence microscopy techniques. Risks
20
of wrong observations or differences in test interpretation are reduced, even

when done by less qualified technicians.
Universal. Fluorescence microscopy can be applied to a wide range of

biomedical disciplines such as bacteriology, mycology, virology, parasitology,
serology, immunology, autoimmunology, cytology, cell biology and
histochemistry.
Adaptable. Fluorescence microscopy methods can replace and improve many

conventional bright-field microscopy tests. Most compound microscopes can
be used for fluorescence microscopy, provided the instruments are equipped
with a few fluorescence accessories.
Table 2.1 Fluorescence microscopy applications

Infectious disease diagnosis
Agent detection and identification
Antibody titration
Toxin detection
Industrial process control

Monitoring of clean rooms
Detection of fluid contamination
Sampling of food and beverages
Autoimmune disease diagnosis

Antibody detection and identification
Antibody titration
Disease diagnosis
Etiological agent detection and identification
Antibody titration
Environment monitoring
Microbial aerosol monitoring
Water analysis
Limnology
Environment microorganism monitoring

Air testing (aerosols)
Water analysis (bacteriological safety)
Sewage treatment control
Emergency support
Casualty diagnosis
Microorganism aerosol detection and
identification
Biological attack defence

Rapid diagnosis of casualties
Detection of biological aerosols
Sampling of suspicious munitions
Biological research
Location and identification of cells
Identification of tissues
Detection of nucleic acids
Industrial process control

Monitoring of clean rooms (electronics)
Detection of fluid contamination
(electronics, pharmaceuticals)
Detection of product contamination
(food, beverages)
21
2.1 Medical disease diagnosis and monitoring

The most common use of fluorescence microscopy is for medical diagnosis.
Rapid, simplified infectious disease diagnosis is possible with fluorescence
microscopy. Often, it is the most effective, or the only, way to make diagnosis.
Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can be detected and
generally or specifically identified. This approach provides very rapid and sensitive
diagnosis by using fluorochromes that are specific for an infecting agent of disease.
Examples are fluorescent antibody (serologically specific staining) and the
fluorescent acid-fast stain. Fluorescent antibody tests are available for a wide
variety of infectious disease agents. Fluorescent acid-fast stains are very useful for
diagnosing important diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis.
It is not always necessary to have particulate antigens such as bacteria or
protozoa to study disease. Soluble toxins and viruses can also be demonstrated in
tissues or specimens with fluorescent antibody. For example, the technique has been
used to show staphylococcal enterotoxin in an animals body after ingestion and
locate its action in the brain and other organs where it causes toxic symptoms.
Similar findings are possible with other soluble antigens.
Another important medical use of fluorescence microscopy is to detect, identify
and titrate host antibodies to infective agents. This is done by the indirect fluorescent
antibody (immunofluorescence) test. Certain autoantibodies or anti-tissue antibodies
cause diseases in which the bodys immune system attacks the body itself. These
autoimmune diseases can be detected and identified by indirect fluorescent antibody
test. Distinctive patterns of staining are seen in the tissues involved or in other cells
that react with specific antibodies in a patients blood that are characteristic of a
disease.
2.2 Monitoring of the environment

Public health laboratories routinely monitor microorganisms in the environment.
Water, air and soil are tested. Samples are normally examined by bacterial culture,
but they can also be investigated by fluorescence microscopy. Often, more
microorganisms are detected in a sample by fluorescence microscopy than by
culture. This is because some organisms in a sample may be dead or damaged or
22
are difficult to culture. Fluorescence microscopy used for this purpose is economical
because fluorochrome dyes are inexpensive and analysis time is short. Expensive
culture media and bacteriological equipment are not needed to do the tests. Perhaps
the most significant advantage of fluorescence microscopy for sample analysis is a
fast result. Instead of days to obtain a result, as with culture, fluorescence
microscopy provides results within hours or minutes. Fluorescence microscopy is
used to detect microorganisms in potable water, fresh water and seawater. It is the
preferred analysis method to detect Cryptosporidium protozoa in finished potable
water.
In most water analysis applications the sample is drawn through a membrane
filter that has sub-micron-sized pores. The microorganisms are trapped on the
surface of the filter where they may be grown in place for colony counts or directly
observed by microscopy, especially epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy (see
Section 4.2).
Air samples are also collected and tested by fluorescence microscopy. Air is
passed through a filter, and subsequently the filter is examined for microorganisms
by epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy. This can be done directly or by first
collecting the air sample in a liquid using a device called a liquid impinger. Following
collection, the sample in the liquid may be filtered, and the microorganisms trapped
on the filter surface are observed by epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy. Air
sampling with fluorescence microscopy is used in industrial settings as well in the
open air to detect microbial aerosols. Other liquids are examined by fluorescence
microscopy on filters as well, including parenteral fluids and dilute disinfectants.
2.3 Food sanitation and safety

The method primarily used by the food and beverage industries to detect
microbial contamination is direct counting by epi-illumination fluorescence
microscopy on solid foods and liquid foods. It is particularly useful for dairy products,
but other liquids such as wine are analysed for progression of the process using
fluorescence microscopy. It has been used to test both raw and pasteurized milk.
Microbial contamination of animal carcasses during meat processing can be
monitored quickly and easily by fluorescence microscopy. For example, pathogens
23
such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes can be detected.

A standardized method, the direct epifluorescent filter technique (DEFT), uses
either fluorescent antibody or the fluorochrome acridine orange. The DEFT method
is used to detect the presence of microorganisms on food processing surfaces and
also to assess the effectiveness of cleaning methods for food processing equipment
and areas. Thus, epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy is a valuable tool in the
food industry that efficiently helps keep food products safe.
2.4 Biological research

Fluorescence microscopy in biological research reveals the exact location,
development and functions of tissues and cells. Fluorochromes and immunologically
specific fluorescent antibodies can be used as markers. Certain fluorochromes also
distinctively stain subcellular structures of an organism, for example cell wall
structure, composition and nucleic acids, depending on various factors in the
specimen such as chemicals, viscosity and pH.
Use of fluorescence microscopy can provide basic biological data for locating
DNA and RNA in tissues, cells and organisms. The most common fluorescent probe
used is acridine orange. Another method, called fluorescence in situ hybridization
(FISH), visually demonstrates DNA and RNA sequences, providing further insight
into basic biology. Acridine orange is a vital stain. When used at very high dilutions,
it does not kill organisms, and thus it allows the study of microorganisms in their
living state with their functions intact. For example, studies have been made of
motile paramecia and other protozoa. The organelles on motile protozoa can be
easily seen and differentiated by various fluorescent colours. Fluorescent markers
are also used to study redox reactions in respiring bacteria. Viable cells are
examined for their ability to differentiate. Leukocytes reveal their phagocytic and
microbiocidal activities when examined by fluorescence microscopy.
Fluorescence microscopy permits quantitative measurement of various
substances in cells and tissues. This includes toxins and viruses that can be
specifically visually located in the parts of the tissues or cells that they affect. For
example, viruses infecting cells may be located in the nucleus or various parts of
the cytoplasm. Different viruses inhabit different compartments of cells, and this
24
Fluorescence microscopy for disease analysis and monitoring of the enviroment
may be important when developing therapy for infections or for diagnostic tools. In
cancer studies, fluorescence microscopy has been used to demonstrate the
development of polyps and cancers of the colon. In basic biology of the environment,
fluorescence microscopy has been used to demonstrate viable, but non-culturable,
salmonella in soil. It also has been used to demonstrate the interaction between
microorganisms and the roots of plants.
3. Equipment for fluorescence

microscopy
3.1 Basic fluorescence microscope parts

The equipment needed for fluorescence microscopy comprises:
compound microscope (basic platform and lenses)
high-power illuminator (excitation light)
exciter light filter (selects light colour)
dichroic mirror (reflects or passes certain light coloursepifluorescence only)
barrier filter (blocks low wavelength light).
A compound microscope is the platform that brings together all the other parts
and provides magnification and resolution of the specimen image.
A light source supplies bright light of a suitable wavelength (colour) to
stimulate fluorescence.
An excitation (primary) filter transmits only the light wavelength (colour)
needed to excite fluorescence of the fluorochrome used. It blocks other
wavelengths from the light source that are not needed.
A dichroic mirror further reflects the exciting light colour, but it passes the
higher wavelength fluorescence light.
A barrier (secondary) filter blocks any exciting light that may escape the other
filters, and it also passes the higher wavelength fluorescence light.
Figure 3.1 illustrates the schema described above.
26
Figure 3.1 Schematic diagram of a fluorescence microscopy system
3.2 Compound light microscopes for fluorescence

microscopy
A standard compound microscope fitted with an appropriate excitation light
source and suitable light filters can be used for fluorescence microscopy. There are
two types of fluorescence microscope:
transmitted light (excitation illumination through the specimen, usually from

below)
epi-illumination (incident light shining on the surface of the specimen).
Transmitted-light fluorescence microscopy usually needs a dark-field

condenser. This type of condenser provides a dark background against which
fluorescence is easily seen. Dark-field condensers concentrate the exciting light on
the specimen. However, since the light passes through the slide and the specimen,
it can be compromised by factors such as slide thickness, slide material and the
opaqueness of the specimen itself. Since all specimens must be transparent for
examination by transmitted light fluorescence microscopy, it makes examination of
specimens collected on filter surfaces difficult. Thus, air and liquid specimens
collected by filtration are best examined by epi-illumination fluorescence.
27
It is important to understand that a primary concern in fluorescence microscopy

is to maximize the fluorescence image. The light energy needed to excite
fluorescence is far greater than the fluorescence light produced, so all primary
factors must be optimized. These primary factors are:
wavelength of the exciting light
numerical aperture (NA) of the objective lens
total magnification.
In order to see the relatively weak fluorescence light, it is necessary to suppress

unwanted wavelengths of the exciting light. This requires an efficient barrier filter
to allow the fluorescence light to pass to the observer while blocking out the
excitation light. Various types of satisfactory light filter are available (see
section 3.4).
The NA of the objective lens is very important. The primary function of the
objective lens is to gather light; and the larger the NA, the more light that is gathered.
In epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy, the objective lens also acts as the
condenser lens. Because the objective in epi-illumination first concentrates the
excitation light and then gathers fluorescence light, the fluorescence image intensity
varies directly with the fourth power of the numerical aperture. This is a significant
increase. Light intensity decreases with the square of the magnification. The
formula is as follows:
I=
NA4
M2
where I is the light intensity, NA is the numerical aperture and M is the total
magnification.
Therefore examining specimens at medium magnifications, 400 to 600,
provides the best combination of object size and bright fluorescence. Because of
the basic nature of fluorescence, it is possible to examine fluorescent specimens
better at lower magnifications than by bright-field microscopy.
A fluorescence image appears much brighter with an objective lens of a certain
magnification and NA than it does with the same magnification lens with a smaller
NA. For example, most 40 objective lenses are 0.65 NA, but some manufacturers
28
make a 40 objective lens (oil immersion) with 1.0 NA or even 1.3 NA. These
objectives yield much brighter fluorescence images than the dry objective1.
Furthermore, since fluorescence images are brighter at lower magnification using a
6 or 8 ocular lens with a given power objective lens will produce a brighter image
than if using the more common 10 or 12.5 oculars.
Some medium-power objectives (40 to 63) are designed with large NAs
0.95 to 1.4. The best ones are used for very critical fluorescence microscopy, and
these are fluorite or apochromat lenses. These types of objective also give superior
colour correction and image clarity. However, these objectives are expensive.
An important technical point is that the NA of the condenser lens should be as
close as possible to the NA of the objective lens. Therefore, dark-field condensers
must be changed to provide suitable NAs when using different magnification
objective lenses in transmitted light fluorescence microscopy.
Most disadvantages of transmitted-light fluorescence microscopy are
overcome by epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy, a simpler technology that
does not need a dark-field condenser. In epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy
the objective lens itself acts as the condenser, so the NA of the condenser exactly
matches any objective lens being used. This improves efficiency, promotes simplicity
and is more economical because a separate condenser lens is not needed. Also,
because epi-illumination deals with the surface of the specimen, it is intrinsically
more efficient and provides improved fluorescence. The optical arrangement of
transmitted and epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy are compared in
Figures 3.2a and 3.2b.
Various types of objective lenses are satisfactory for fluorescence microscopy
including achromat, plan-achromat, fluorite, and apochromat objective lenses.
Modifications of these objectives are also satisfactory for fluorescence microscopy,
but these types of objectives are expensive and only used in special research
applications. For most purposes, standard achromat objectives are satisfactory and
are the ones most commonly used. Plan-achromat lenses are used when a flat field
of view is needed, and these lenses are common today.
Dry objectives cannot have NA greater than 1.0, the refractive index of air.
Figure 3.2a Optical arrangement of transmitted fluorescence microscopy
29
30
Figure 3.2b Optical arrangement of epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy
31
Fluorite and apochromat objectives offer several advantages, large NA and

complete spectrum colour correction. Larger NA in an objective lens increases light
gathering power and thus improves the fluorescence image, especially in low
fluorescence specimens. Complete spectrum colour correction is important in
certain photomicrography applications. These advantages of fluorite and
apochromat objectives come at considerably higher cost than achromats, and
fluorescence microscopists must balance the need for advantages with this
increased cost.
Objective lenses with high NA are usually immersion objectives. These
objectives require a liquid between the lens and the slide to avoid the change in
refraction of light passing through a different medium (air). Most immersion
objectives are designed for use with oil. The oil should be synthetic non-fluorescent
oil with a refractive index of 1.515, which is the refractive index of the glass in the
objectives. While most high NA objectives are oil immersion, objective lenses are
available that are corrected for water immersion or glycerol immersion. These
objectives are useful for examining wet mounts and living organisms. They are also
good for fieldwork because these lenses are easily cleaned without using solvents.
Certain objective lenses may fluoresce, thus degrading the fluorescent image
from the specimen. Achromat objectives rarely fluoresce, but some older
apochromats do. The fluorescence in older apochromat objectives is caused by
ultraviolet light stimulation. For epi-illumination fluorescence microscopes using
quartzhalogen lamps this is not a practical issue; only mercury or xenon excitation
light sources emit ultraviolet light.
Choice of ocular lenses (eyepieces) is also important for fluorescence
microscopy. The most common types are the standard Huygens and wide-field
eyepieces. Compensating oculars are needed when using apochromat objectives.
Lower power oculars with 5 to 8 magnification are desirable for fluorescence
microscopy. Microscope manufacturers offer immersion objective lenses with
magnifications of 40 to 60, and these have NAs ranging from 0.95 to 1.4. These
lenses are excellent for fluorescence microscopy when used with 10 oculars but
even better with lower power oculars. Unfortunately these objective lenses tend to
be expensive. A relatively inexpensive alternative combination is to use the
commonly available 100 (oil) objective, NA 1.251.3, with a low power ocular, for
32
example 5 or 6. This combination yields very satisfactory bright fluorescent

images at minimal cost.
Compound microscopes used for fluorescence microscopy are usually standard
upright models. However, fluorescence microscopy also can be done with inverted
microscopes such as those used for examining tissue cultures in flasks or dishes.
Since the bottom of the container may be thick, inverted microscopes often have
long working distance objectives to focus through the container to the cells.
There may be a brighter image with a monocular microscope than with a
binocular microscope because there are fewer lens and prism surfaces in the light
path to cause light loss. However, the slight loss of light intensity is insignificant when
using mercury or xenon light sources, and choice may be dictated by the greater
viewing comfort of a binocular microscope. When using a monocular microscope,
the unused eye can be covered to provide viewing comfort. For fieldwork, a
monocular microscope is less bulky and lighter, so it is more easily transported.
3.3 Light sources for fluorescence microscopy

Three types of excitation light source are commonly used for fluorescence
microscopy. These light sources are quartzhalogen, mercury vapour and xenon.
Each provides light across the visible spectrum, and the mercury and xenon lamps
give near-ultraviolet light as well (Figure 3.3). Quartzhalogen lamps give little or
no ultraviolet light. Therefore, they cannot be used for fluorochromes that need
ultraviolet excitation. However, they are safer to use than mercury or xenon light
sources, as there is no radiation hazard.
Blue and blueviolet light excite fluorescence in the most commonly used
fluorochromes for medical and environmental studies including fluorescein
isothiocyanate (FITC), auramine O and acridine orange. All three types of lamp
yield enough blue or blueviolet light for satisfactory epi-illumination fluorescence
microscopy with these fluorochromes. Mercury and xenon lamps provide more
intense light output than quartzhalogen lamps, and these provide the strong green
light needed to excite fluorescence in rhodamine-type fluorochromes. Quartz
halogen lamps are not satisfactory for use with rhodamine-type fluorochromes.
Recently, laser diodes have been successfully used as light sources for small,
33
Figure 3.3 Comparison of light spectral output from different types of light
source
portable fluorescence microscopes [source: private communication, D. Jones,

University of Marburg].
When installing any light bulb, it is important to avoid touching the glass
envelope with the fingers. This leaves an oily residue that becomes permanent when
the lamp is turned on, and it reduces the light output. Only handle a lamp with holders
that are sometimes provided or using a clean cloth. When removing or changing a
lamp, wait until it is completely cooled. Mercury and xenon vapour lamps have high
internal pressure and become extremely hot when on. Handling the lamps when
cold will avoid burns and minimize the possibility of a lamp bulb exploding.
34
Arc lamps, such as mercury and xenon vapour lamps, must be set up to fill the
objective field with excitation light. Therefore the lamp image and its mirror image
are arranged side by side in the field. Manufacturers provide adjustment
mechanisms to move the lamp and reflecting mirror to do this. Follow the lamp
manufacturers instructions carefully.
Caution:
Never operate the lamp without its housing in place.
Never look directly at the lamp or its image when it is on.
Never touch the lamp when it is on or hot.
When the lamp is first turned on, give it a few minutes to warm up and get to
full intensity. Light output from arc lamps and some halogen lamps is controlled with
a field diaphragm or by putting neutral density filters in the light path. A rheostat on
the lamp housing can control the intensity of some quartzhalogen lamps. When
this type of lamp is first turned on, leave it at the low position for several minutes
before increasing the intensity. This will lengthen bulb life.
3.4 Light filters for fluorescence microscopy

Light filters are essential in fluorescence microscopy for selecting appropriate
colour wavelengths to stimulate fluorescence and to block unwanted excitation light
from the observers eye. Filters provide wavelength colour selection. They can be
changed for different microscopy applications. Various types of light filters are used.
In some situations, a certain type of filter is required while in others, choices may be
made to gain good results balanced with economy. Light filters fall into several types;
short band pass, long band pass, wide band pass, narrow band pass and dichroic.
These are compared in Table 3.1.
A short band pass filter passes light up to a selected wavelength. It does not
allow light of higher wavelengths to pass through the filter. In practice, these filters
usually pass ultraviolet, purple, blue and green light. A long band pass filter only
passes light above the selected wavelength; thus these tend to pass green, yellow,
orange and red light. Wide band pass and narrow band pass filters are selfexplanatory: many light wavelengths are passed through the wideband pass filter
35
Table 3.1 Light filters and their uses in fluorescence microscopy

Filter type
Use
Filter method
Short band pass
Excitation
Colour absorption or interference
Long band pass
Barrier (blocking)
Wide band pass
Excitation
Narrow band pass
Excitation
Barrier (blocking), interference
Dichroic
Beam-splitting mirror
Colour beam-splitting (epi-illumination)
and few through the narrow band pass. Interference filters and narrow band pass
filters are used in epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy, especially for the
excitation light.
A dichroic beam-splitting mirror is essential for epi-illumination fluorescence
microscopy. This device reflects short wavelength light and passes long wavelength
light. Typically, the dichroic mirrors used are at least 90% efficient for reflectance
and transmission. For example, if a fluorochrome absorbs low wavelength blue
violet light and emits fluorescence in the greenyellow range, the blueviolet
dichroic mirror light reflects, and the greenyellow fluorescence light passes to the
eye of the microscopist. This relationship is shown in Figure 3.4.
Two kinds of filter are used for fluorescence microscopy, colour absorption and
interference. Colour absorption filters were mainly used for transmission
fluorescence microscopy, but interference filters have replaced these for epiillumination fluorescence microscopy (Table 3.2). An exception is the barrier filter.
For this, some manufacturers still use colour absorption long band pass barrier filters
for their high light transmittance and lower cost.
Colour absorption filters are usually made of glass, but gelatin filters are also
used. A wide range of colours is available. With glass filters, the amount of
absorption depends on the thickness of the glass. This is not possible with gelatin
filters as they are all the same thickness. However, gelatin filters are inexpensive
and easily cut to shape or size. For special needs, they can serve as temporary
supplementary filters.
36
Figure 3.4 Principle of complementary filters
Table 3.2 Filter types for fluorescence microscopy

Excitation system
Application
Filter type
Epi-illumination
Exciter
Interference
Barrier
Interference (uncommon)
Coloured glass
Gelatin (uncommon)
Exciter
Coloured glass
Interference
Barrier
Coloured glass
Gelatin
Interference (uncommon)
Transmitted light
4. Practical fluorescence microscopy
4.1 Bright-field versus fluorescence microscopy

The basic difference between bright-field and fluorescence microscopy lies in
the way microscopic objects are viewed. With bright-field microscopy, dark objects
are viewed against a light background. In dark-field or fluorescence microscopy,
bright objects are viewed against a dark background. The human eye sees bright
objects against dark backgrounds more easily.
As a result of improved object viewing, a small object, such as a bacterial cell,
can be seen at lower magnification with fluorescence microscopy than by brightfield microscopy. This means that lower power objectives and ocular lenses can
be used that provide larger fields of view. For example, a 20 objective will show
approximately four times the field area as that shown using a 40 objective. Thus,
a technician can examine more area of a slide specimen in a shorter time. This is
important when examining specimens like sputum slides for acid-fast bacilli or
blood smears for malaria parasites. Fluorescence microscopy increases diagnostic
efficiency. This means that efficient examination of slide specimens such as sputum
for acid-fast bacilli can be done much faster by fluorescence microscopy than by
bright-field microscopy.
4.2 Epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy

Epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy allows lower output excitation light
sources such as quartzhalogen lamps to be used. These are inexpensive compared
with arc-type lamps. The efficiency of the epi-illumination fluorescence system is
due in part to the fact that the exciting light stimulates fluorescence on the surface of
38
the specimen. Moreover, since the excitation light passes through the same objective
lens to the specimen and the fluorescent light passes back through the objective,
the objective lens serves as its own condenser. This amplifies the fluorescent light
by several orders of magnitude. This means a perfect match of NA and elimination
of a separate condenser lens.
4.3 Basic equipment and supplies for epi-illumination

fluorescence microscopy
Equipment
Fluorescence microscope, epi-illumination (FITC filter sets for FITC
conjugates, acridine orange, and auramine O and/or TRITC filter sets for
rhodamine-type conjugates), halogen or mercury vapour light source
Centrifuge, general laboratory type (optional depending on test)
Refrigerator
Freezer, 20 C
Ventilated safety cabinet (for highly pathogenic agent work)
pH meter, thin combination electrode
Supplies and reagents
Applicator sticks
Basic laboratory tools (bacteriological loops, forceps, diamond scriber, wax

glass marker, etc.)
Absorbent paper (bibulous paper book or filter paper)
Bunsen burner or alcohol lamp
Cotton gauze squares or a roll of gauze
Cover glasses, No. 1 or No. 1.5, 22 mm square or 22 50 mm
Ethanol, 95%
Humid chamber (Petri dish with wet filter paper in the base and applicator
sticks to support slides)
Immersion oil (non-fluorescent, synthetic) refraction index 1.515
39
Microscope slides (plain or pre-etched with two or three circles), 25 75 mm
Buffered glycerol mounting medium, pH 8.59.0
Nail polish (cover glass sealant)
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 0.1
Stain rack
Comments
Microscope slides
Standard slides can be used with epi-illumination fluorescence microscopes,
but some manufacturers offer special slides for fluorescence microscopy. These
slides have various sizes of etched or plastic masked circles on them. The multi-well
slides expedite the performance and decrease the cost of some routine illumination
fluorescence testing. They retain the stain and limit the amount needed to specific
spots of the specimens on the slides.
Cover glasses
The microscopist should try to have as homogeneous an optical system as
possible in order to maximize image quality. The thickness of cover glasses used for
fluorescence microscopy is critical. Commercial cover glasses are rather uniform
in refractive index but vary widely in thickness. No. 1 or No. 1.5 cover glasses
are preferred. Thicker cover glasses sometimes may cause a hazy, bleached image
appearance.
Immersion oil
For fluorescence microscopy, non-fluorescent immersion oil, such as Cargille
type A low-fluorescence non-drying immersion oil for microscopy, must be used.
It has a refractive index of 1.515 at 23 C. Various manufacturers produce similar
synthetic oils that do not dry on the objective lens.
40
Specimen-mounting medium
The refractive index of the cover glassmounting medium should closely
match that of the cover glass. If the refractive index of the mounting medium
differs considerably from that of the cover glass, it may have an adverse affect on
image quality. Mounting media should be adjusted to the pH suitable for optimal
fluorescence of the fluorochrome used. For FITC it should not be lower than pH
7.2 because FITC fluorescence decreases rapidly below this pH. Oxidation and
absorption of CO2 occur in stored mounting medium and thus decrease the pH of
the glycerol in the mounting fluid. Therefore, pH of the mounting fluid should be
at least pH 8.0, preferably between pH 8.5 and 9.0. The pH should be checked at
least once a month, preferably weekly.
Buffered glycerol (9 parts of glycerol to 1 part [v/v] of 0.5 M carbonate buffer
[pH 9.0]) is commonly used as a cover glass mounting medium. The edges of cover
glasses may be sealed with nail polish, and some preparations sealed this way may
be preserved at 4 C for weeks or months. However, this varies with the specimen
and stain used. As results are not always consistent after storage, slides should be
examined as soon as possible.
4.4 Set-up and adjusting an epi-illumination fluorescence

microscope
Setting up most epi-illumination fluorescence microscopes is not complicated.
Each manufacturer provides clear directions, and these should be followed
carefully.
The basic steps to operate an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope and
examine specimens are as follows.
1.
Select a microscopy viewing area with subdued light, not completely dark. This
allows the technicians eyes to adjust to low light levels.
2.
Turn on the excitation light source. Allow it to warm up for several minutes.
3.
Swing the desired magnification objective into place directly above the centre
of the microscope stage. (Sometimes it is convenient to start with a lowerpower objective to more easily find the field and then to switch objectives for
maximum magnification desired.)
41
4.
Place a slide with a specimen in the centre of the stage. Secure it with the
mechanical stage clip on the mechanical stage arm.
5.
Lower the objective to the slide while observing its approach from the side.
Avoid the objective touching the slide. The proper distance from the slide for
each objectiveworking distancewill be learned from experience. (Some
microscopes have a mechanical stop that can be set near the proper focal plane.
The same thickness slide must be used each time.)
6.
Increase the brightness of the excitation light to a practical level. (This can be
done by opening the diaphragm, changing neutral density filters, or turning the
rheostat knob, if available.)
7.
Carefully focus up or down to bring the fluorescing specimen into focus. It is

best to use the fine focus knob for this.
Note: sometimes it is hard to find the plane of the specimen when using
fluorescence microscopy, especially with specimens that have few organisms or are
negative. In these cases, it may be helpful to first focus on the specimen by brightfield using the substage lamp. Then, switch to fluorescence.
4.5 Using an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope

Fluorescence light brightness is low compared with light used in bright-field
microscopy. Although little light falls on the eye of the observer, the system can be
adjusted so that this light is easy to see. This is because fluorescence light is seen
against a contrasting dark background. In many specimens, only a small part of the
total field actually emits fluorescence light, and the brightness of this fluorescence
light decreases or fades over time. To efficiently use available light in fluorescence
microscopy, the following principles should be followed.
Choose a solid place for the microscope that is free from vibration and shocks
in a dust-free room that can be darkened. In most cases use epi-illumination
(incident light) for fluorescence microscopy rather than transmitted light.
Either transmitted light or epi-illumination light can be used to do fluorescence

microscopy. In most cases, epi-fluorescence is the more effective and easier
method. Transmitted-light fluorescence microscopy, usually with dark-field
42
light excitation, offers few advantages. Epi-illumination also is better for doing
photomicrography.
For specimens of average fluorescence brightness, epi-fluorescence methods

allow exposure times of only 1020 seconds (high-speed colour film) instead
of several minutes as with fluorescence microscopes using transmitted light.
Align the light source, microscope optics and specimen exactly. Each
manufacturers instructions should be followed carefully.
Use objective lenses with as large NA as possible. (Fluorescence intensity

increases exponentially with numerical increase in NA.)
Use low magnification eyepieces (oculars), 6 or 8 instead of 10 or 12.5.

(Fluorescence light intensity decreases exponentially with increase in total
magnification.)
Position the fluorescence microscope away from windows. (Fluorescence

microscopy done in a subdued light area allows the users eye to adapt to the
low light level. Avoid complete darkness.)
Use a microscope with a short, simple light path. (Light losses occur at all free
surfaces of lenses, prisms and mirrors along the light path.)
Make records after any changes to the apparatus, such as changing the light
bulb.
Do not put frosted ground glass in the excitation light path. (Ground glass
severely reduces light levels.)
4.6 Inexpensive transmitted-light fluorescence

microscopy
Originally, fluorescence microscopy was done by light transmitted through a
microscope dark-field condenser, the slide and the specimen. The more efficient
and simpler equipment used to do epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy later
replaced this system. Thus, transmitted-light fluorescence microscopy gradually
fell out of favour and is seldom used today.
However, there is an exception, due to the observations of Fumihiko Kawamoto
[Kawamoto F, 1991]. He showed that transmitted-light fluorescence microscopy
43
was possible using an interference filter for the excitation filter, the standard
bright-field condenser, and the light from a 50-watt or greater halogen lamp. This
excited good fluorescence in acridine orangestained malaria parasites in thin blood
smears.
The advantages of this approach are that the need for a dark-field condenser
is eliminated, and conversion of standard microscopes to transmitted light
fluorescence microscopes is easy and inexpensive. Various sources of excitation
light can be used. Part of the reason this system works well is due to fluorescence
efficiency of acridine orange stain.
The excitation filter used is an interference filter passing blue or blueviolet
light. The interference filter can be placed on an external halogen lamp, and the
blue light projected off the microscope mirror. Some condensers have a filter holder
where the interference filter can be placed. It also can be attached to the underside
of the condenser by means as simple as tape.
A yellow colour filter of glass or gelatin is used as a barrier filter, and this is
placed anywhere in the microscope light path above the objective, for example, in
the microscope body or in the oculars. This system has been used successfully in
several African countries. The system is shown in Figure 4.1.
Figure 4.1. Inexpensive transmitted-light fluorescence microscope
44
4.7 Concentrating specimens for fluorescence

microscopy
Many specimens for analysis may contain only a few microorganisms.
Concentrating microorganisms into a smaller specimen volume or removing them
from the specimen for direct examination increases their sensitivity to detection and
identification. This can be done several ways:
centrifugation
membrane-filter concentration
immunomagnetic particle separation.
4.7.1 Centrifugation
The most commonly used concentration method is centrifugation. Most
laboratories have centrifuges in order to concentrate particles suspended in liquids,
for example, cellular elements in urine, bacteria in cerebrospinal fluid, or helminth
ova in faecal specimens. The principle of centrifugation is simple. A specimen is
centrifuged at high speed so that centrifugal force sends particles of higher specific
gravity than the suspending liquid to the bottom of the container, usually a specially
designed test tube. A centrifuges sedimentation capability is measured as relative
centrifugal force. This is expressed as multiples of gravitational (g) forcethe
acceleration due to the earths gravity at sea level, about 9.8 m/s2. Factors involved
in sedimentation efficiency are speed of rotation, radius of rotation and time.
For sedimenting small particles like bacteria or to clarify fluorescence antibody
conjugates, use a centrifuge capable of at least 10 000g. The time of centrifugation
needed varies by specimen. Determine this by experiment. In some instances, as
when sedimenting Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria in sputum, the bacteria
may be the same specific gravity as, or even less than the suspending fluid. In these
instances, the bacteria will not sediment.
4.7.2 Membrane-filter concentration
Membrane-filter concentration is an excellent way to concentrate microorganisms
for detection by epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy. Membrane filters have
pore sizes usually ranging from 0.45 m to 0.20 m. Use polycarbonate filters
45
because they have a smooth surface that makes cells lying on it easy to see. A
polycarbonate filter is a physically strong material that resists many solvents, so
it is adaptable to various handling and staining methods. Polycarbonate filters and
various designs of holding devices are available from a number of manufacturers
(see Annex 12.5).
Materials
Membrane filter, 0.45 m or 0.20 m pore size (polycarbonate, black preferred
for low background fluorescence).
Filter holder (many designs and sizes are available).
Vacuum source (a small vacuum pump or a large suction syringe are commonly
used).
Sample (liquid or gaseous).
Diluent and washing liquid (commonly filtered water).
Epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
Fluorochrome dye or fluorescence antibody reagent.
Buffer solution.
Cover glass (optional depending on specimens or methods used).
Mounting medium (for cover glass).
Immersion oil (low fluorescence, non-drying).
Method
1. Set up the filter apparatus with the membrane filter in place. Usually, the holder
is attached to the neck opening of a side-arm vacuum flask.
2.
Add the sample (if the sample is small, first dilute it in a larger volume of
filtered water to aid efficient distribution of microorganisms in the filtration
process).
3.
Draw the diluted sample through the filter via vacuum.
4.
Wash the filter and filter holder with filtered, deionized H2O or an appropriate
filtered buffer.
46
5.
Draw the wash liquid through the filter.
6.
Remove the filter with trapped particles on its surface from the holder.
7.
Place it in a convenient container such as a Petri dish.
8.
Stain the filter with a fluorochrome or fluorescent antibody conjugate, and then
rinse it.
9.
Mount the filter on a slide with a drop of low fluorescence immersion oil.
10. Examine the filter with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.

4.7.3 Immunomagnetic particle absorption
In the immunomagnetic separation method, magnetic particles or beads are
coated with specific antibodies. The sensitized particles are mixed with a liquid
suspension of the antigen sought, for example, cholera bacteria in a diluted stool
specimen or CD-4 cells in blood. The antigen attaches to the antibody-coated
magnetic particles (beads), and then a magnetic device is used to extract the
particles from the suspension. This method is quite sensitive. It is capable of
efficiently collecting organisms when only a few are present in a large specimen.
The magnetic particles (beads) are coated with a material that adsorbs antibody,
for example, agarose, latex, polyacrylamide or polystyrene. Experimentally
determine the type to be used with each antigenantibody system. After reaction,
remove the magnetic particles carrying the target antigen from the liquid suspension
using a magnetic collecting device. These range from automatic or semi-automatic
commercially available instruments to a simple magnetic wand swirled in the
suspension.
Detect and identify the antigen on the magnetic beads by one or another of
various means. These can be culturing (if bacteria), serological tests including
fluorescence antibody, and fluorescence microscopy using acridine orange. Methods
for concentrating antigens vary with manufacturers of the magnetic beads. Refer
to each manufacturers instructions for specific test methods. Magnetic beads are
available commercially (see Annex 12.5).
5. Fluorochromes
5.1 Properties of fluorochromes

A fluorochrome is a chemical dye that fluoresces (emits light) when it is
stimulated (excited) by certain wavelengths (colours) of light. There are many
hundreds of fluorochromes, and new ones are being synthesized to meet new
requirements. Some are general fluorescent stains, staining a wide variety of tissues
and substances. Others specifically stain certain cells, tissues or structures based
on factors such as specimen pH, viscosity or the presence of certain chemicals.
Others differentiate between living and dead cells. Some are specific for white blood
cells, mitochondria or chromosomes. Certain fluorochromes can be attached
(conjugated) to antibodies to form immunologically specific stains. This combination
is called a fluorescent antibody, and the technique is known as immunofluorescence.
This stain is particularly useful in medical laboratory diagnosis.
For the most part, fluorochromes are used in basic biological and medical
research and applied work. The most common application is for medical diagnosis,
detecting and identifying disease-causing microorganisms and antibodies in
immunological diseases. These are also used in environmental studies to detect and
specifically identify microorganisms in water and air samples.
Some commonly used fluorochromes are listed in Table 5.1. This table includes
peak absorption and emission wavelengths (colours), as well as fluorochrome
applications. While each fluorochrome has at least one absorption peak, some may
be stimulated to yield practical fluorescence by several peak wavelengths of
excitation light. An example is Evans blue, which is used as a red fluorescing
counterstain in fluorescent antibody tests using green fluorescing fluorescein
48
isothiocyanate (FITC). Although Evans blue is maximally excited by green light, it

also fluoresces red when stimulated by blue light, the best colour light to excite FITC.
Thus, when using combinations of fluorochromes, actual experimentation may be
needed to find the best light wavelengths to use for the excitation light.
Other fluorochromes commonly used are acridine orange and auramine O.
Acridine orange has many uses, and some of these are described in detail below.
Auramine O is used mainly to detect acid-fast bacilli in sputum specimens. Acridine
orange also can be used to do this, or it can be used as a contrasting counterstain
for auramine O acid-fast stains as described below. Fluorescent acid-fast stains are
diagnostically very efficient.
Table 5.1 Commonly used fluorochromes, their characteristics and

applications
Fluorochrome
Absorption Emission
peaks (nm) peaks (nm) Staining applications
Acridine orange
460, 500
525, 650
460
550
Acid-fast bacteria
Berberine sulfate
430
550
General bacteria
Calcophor white
365 (UV)
435
Fungi in tissue
Coriphosphine O
460
575
Leukocytes, bacteria, mucus
340 (UV)
525
Antigenantibody reactions
550
610
Fluorescent counterstain (red)
Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)
490
525
Lissamine-rhodamine B (RB 200)
570
590
Antigenantibody (RB-200) reactions,

fluorescent counterstain (red)
Auramine O
Dimethylaminonaphthalene5-sulfonic acid (DANS)

Evans blue
DNA, RNA, cells, general bacteria,

acid-fast bacteria, fungi
Texas Red
595
615
Tetramethylrhodamine
isothiocyanate (TRITC)
555
620
Fluorochromes
49
5.2 Filter sets for commonly used fluorochromes

The most commonly used fluorochromes are FITC, acridine orange, and
auramine O. Less frequently used fluorochromes are RB 200, TRITC, and
Calcofluor white. In order to use these fluorochromes for fluorescence microscopy,
companies offer a variety of filter combinations. Basically, these excite the dyes
with ultraviolet, violet, blueviolet, blue or green light. More expensive fluorescence
microscopes, mainly used for research, offer a wide range of filter sets, while the
smaller, more economical microscopes usually have only a few choices. However,
for routine epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy, these filter sets are quite
adequate.
On the less expensive microscopes the filter sets are usually semi-permanently
or permanently installed. In more sophisticated microscopes, most use filter-cube
systems. These are plastic holders in the shape of a cube that contain the exciter
and barrier filters along with a dichroic mirror. Often, the filter cubes are mounted
on a slide that carries more than one filter cube. This slide in the light path makes
changing filter cubes for different applications very easy. The system is mainly
designed for research applications, and it is seldom needed for routine diagnostic
work.
While the exciter filter and dichroic mirror used in epi-illumination fluorescence
microscopy must be the interference type, the barrier filter can be either an
interference filter or a colour filter, glass or gelatin. The main advantage of the
interference type barrier filter is a sharper wavelength cut-off, while the advantage
of the colour filters is lower cost. From a practical point of view for the barrier filter
there is little technical difference, and cost may be the deciding factor.
FITC, auramine O, and acridine orange all can be used with the same filter set.
Excitation is with blueviolet or blue light, and some companies use a broader band
exciter filter that includes ultraviolet. Wavelengths in the near ultraviolet and up to
about 460 nm will stimulate blue autofluorescence in tissues. Using an exciter filter
passing wavelengths from 450 nm to 490 nm generally reduces or eliminates
autofluorescence. In the final analysis, for routine medical diagnosis, a filter set from
any manufacturer indicated for the fluorochrome being used can be applied with
confidence.
6. Use of fluorochromes
Fluorochromes can be used alone or in combination with other fluorochromes to

create multiple contrasting fluorescent colours in a specimen to clearly differentiate
parts. Fluorochromes used singly include acridine orange and fluorescent antibody,
but these can also be used in combination with other fluorochromes. Acridine
orange can give different colours in a specimen depending on its content. For
example, when acridine orange is used to stain a cerebrospinal fluid specimen
from a patient suffering from meningitis, the bacteria stain red in contrast to a
green or yellow background. When used to stain protozoa, the nuclei are often
green while the cytoplasm is red. Combinations of fluorochromes are used when
a counterstain is needed to produce a contrasting colour background. One version
of the fluorescent acid-fast stain uses auramine O as the primary stain and acridine
orange as the counterstain. This results in yellow fluorescing acid-fast bacilli against
an orange fluorescing background of sputum debris. The fluorescing background
is especially useful when dealing with negative specimens. It makes the specimen
field easy to find.
In some research applications, two or three fluorescent antibody preparations
made with different fluorochromes are used to stain various structures in different
colours of fluorescence. This technique vividly shows the relationships between
specific parts of a cell or tissue specimen. This technique is beyond the scope of
this manual.
Green fluorescent antibody stains are often used with contrasting red or orange
counterstains. The fluorochromes Evans blue and Congo red have been successfully
applied. Also, lissamine-rhodamine-conjugated bovine serum albumin makes
a good counterstain when mixed with an FITC conjugate. A particularly useful
counterstain is Eriochrome black. It does not cover the specimen fluorescence, and
52
it suppresses non-specific staining. Since there are a wide range of fluorochromes

that produce different colours, many combinations can be tried to gain the desired
result.
Other fluorochromes stain specific structures in tissue and so are useful to
locate positions of known structural elements in a specimen. This makes alignment
or orientation easier. The most successful of these are:
propidium iodide (5 [3-(diethylmethylammonio)propyl]-3, 8-diamino-6phenylphenanthridinium diiodide)1
brilliant cresyl blue
DAPI (4, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole hydrochloride).
Viewing nuclei in tissue specimens can be done using propidium iodide or

DAPI2.
Ethidium bromide is also an efficient fluorochrome for visualizing nuclei.
However it has been abandoned because of its carcinogenic effect.
6.1 Acridine orangediagnostic uses

Acridine orange is often used for fluorescent staining of nucleic acidcontaining
cells including nucleated blood cells, bacteria and protozoa. The following sections
describe applications of acridine orange for a variety of diagnostic investigations.
Propidium iodide stock solution: 2 mg/mL in 0.15M saline.

Keep the stock solution (2 mg/mL) of propidium iodide refrigerated after dissolving it in saline,
0.15 M.
Add the embedding medium to the stock solution to give a concentration of 1 g/mL.
DAPI stock solution: 25 mg/mL in H2O (distilled).

Dilute 3 L of the stock solution in 1 mL phosphate buffered saline.
Add a drop of the diluted solution directly to the conjugate on the preparation 5 minutes before the end of
the last incubation.
53
6.1.1 RNA/DNA identification

Purpose
Staining of RNA and DNA differentially in tissue and cells.
Materials and reagents
Basic equipment for fluorescence microscopy.
Basic supplies for fluorescence microscopy.
Acetic acid 1%.
Etherethanol.
Ethanol series (80%, 70% and 50% to water).
Acridine orange, 1:10 000 (w/v).
Note: for preparation, see Annex 13.
Phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, 0.15 M.

Distilled water.
CaCl2 0.1M.
Method
1. Fix the specimen slide in etherethanol, 3 minutes.
2.
Hydrate the specimen: 80%, 70%, 50% ethanol and distilled water, 1 minute
each step.
3.
Rinse in 1.0% acetic acid, 10 seconds.
4.
Rinse in distilled water, two changes, 30 seconds each.
5.
Stain with 0.01% (1:10 000) acridine orange, 3 minutes.
6.
Rinse in phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, 30 seconds.
7.
Differentiate in 0.1M CaCl2, 2 minutes (the time may have to be increased in

some systems for good differentiation).
8.
Rinse in phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, two changes.
9.
Mount in phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, under a No. 1 coverslip.
54
10. Examine the slide using a fluorescence microscope with FITC filters.
Results
Reading:
Green or yellowgreen = DNA

Red or orange = RNA.
References
Bertalanffy L, Bertalanffy FD, 1960; Bertalanffy FD, Nagy KP, 1962.
6.1.2 Blood smears for the diagnosis of bacterial septicaemia
Purpose
Detection of difficult-to-stain microorganisms in blood smears (such as Borrelia).
Approach
Fluorescence microscopy detects spirochetes in blood by use of contrasting colour
fluorescence at low pH.
Materials
Acridine orange stain, acetate buffer, pH 3.5, 0.15M.
Methanol, absolute.
Formaldehyde.
Method
1.
Prepare peripheral blood smears.
2.
Fix the smears with:

a. Formaldehyde vapour, 20 minutes, or
b. Methanol, 25 minutes.
3.
Stain the smears with acridine orange stain, 25 minutes.
55
4.
Wash with tap water.
5.
Air-dry the smears.
6.
Examine smears with a fluorescence microscope (FITC filters) at about 600

magnification. Confirm spirochete morphology at 1000.
Results
Borrelia spirochetes are found in thick parts of the smears. They appear bright
orange against a green or black background.
Note: acridine orange to detect spirochetes in peripheral blood smears is simple
and more sensitive than WrightGiemsa stain.
Reference
Sciotto CG et al., 1983.
6.1.3 Cerebrospinal fluid specimens for the diagnosis of bacterial
meningitis
Purpose
Detection of bacteria in cerebrospinal fluid specimens.
Approach
Acridine orange at low pH is used to stain cerebrospinal fluid and other normally
sterile clinical specimens.
Materials
Acridine orange stain, acetate buffer pH 3.5, 0.1 M.
Methanol, absolute.
56
Method
1.
Make a slide smear of the cerebrospinal fluid specimen.
2.
Air-dry the smear.
3.
Fix the smear in methanol, 12 minutes.
4.
Flood the fixed smear with acridine orange stain, 2 minutes.
5.
Wash the smear with tap water.
6.
Air-dry the smear.
7.
Examine the stained smear with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope

(FITC filters).
8.
Survey the smear at 100 to 400, no more than 5 minutes per slide.
9.
Confirm suspect positive bacteria at about 500 to 800 with an oil immersion
objective.
10. Confirm positives, when indicated, with Gram stain so that the Gram reaction
of the bacteria is known.
Results
Bacteria stain brilliant orange against a black, light green, or yellow background.
Many bacteria can be identified this way.
Note: the acridine orange stain is more sensitive than Gram stain on cerebrospinal
fluid specimens. It is effective when the bacteria count in cerebrospinal fluid is
104/mL, 10 times less than with Gram stain. Since acridine orange fluorescence
microscopy can be done at lower magnifications, specimens can be adequately
examined in no more than 5 minutes.
References
Kleiman MB et al., 1984; Lauer BA et al., 1981.
57
6.1.4 Urine for the diagnosis of bacteriuria

Purpose
Fluorescence microscopy for the efficient diagnosis of bacteriuria.
Approach
Urine is alkalinized and stained with acridine orange in wet mounts followed by
examination for red fluorescing bacteria with a fluorescence microscope.
Materials
Thoma bacterial counting chamber.
Borate buffer, pH 9.8.
Acridine orange aqueous solution.
Method
1.
Measure 0.8 mL of borate buffer solution into a small test tube.
2.
Add 0.6 mL of urine and gently mix.
3.
Add 25 L of acridine orange solution.
4.
Incubate the tube at 40 C for 5 minutes (water bath preferred).
5.
Remove an aliquot from the tube, and place it in a Thoma bacterial counting
chamber.
6.
Examine the chamber with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope, using

TRITC filters at about 500 magnification. (An immersion objective and water,
glycerol or oil may be used.)
Results
The bacteria are marked as dots with bright fluorescence.
58
References
Manson R et al., 1985; Scholefield J et al., 1985.
6.1.5 Buffy coat for diagnosis of bacterial septicaemia
Purpose
Rapid diagnosis of neonatal bacteraemia.
Approach
Buffy coat leukocyte samples stained with acridine orange are examined by
fluorescence microscopy to detect bacteria.
Materials
Haematocrit capillary tube, 75 mm, heparinized.
Haematocrit centrifuge.
Blood collection supplies.
Acridine orange in acetate buffer, pH 4.0, 1:10 000 (w/v).
Method
1.
Collect blood by venepuncture.
2.
Fill the capillary tube.
3.
Centrifuge the capillary blood specimen in a haematocrit centrifuge at 10 500

rpm (= 7500g) for 2 minutes.
4.
Score and break the capillary tube at the buffy coatred cell interface.
5.
Make a smear of the buffy coat on a slide.
6.
Heat fix the slide smear.
7.
Flood the slide with acridine orange for 2 minutes at room temperature.
8.
Rinse the slide with tap water (dechlorinated water is preferable).
9.
Air dry the slide.
59
10. Examine the slide with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope, FITC

filters, 500 to 1000 magnification.
Results
Bacterial cells are bright redorange, inside and outside white cells. Leukocytes are
yellowgreen. Bacterial morphology is distinct.
Note: this method is superior to Gram stain and takes less time to prepare the
smears and observe them.
References
Kleiman MB et al., 1984a; Kleiman MB et al., 1984b.
6.1.6 Malaria diagnosis from blood smears
Purpose
Rapidly, efficient and inexpensive diagnosis of malaria.
Approach
Acridine orange staining is used to detect and identify malaria parasites in blood
smears.
Materials
Capillary blood collection supplies.
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.27.4
Acridine orange in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.27.4 (acridine orange
concentrations from 20 g/mL to 100 g/mL can be used).
Methanol, absolute.
60
Sodium heparin (optional).

EDTA (optional).
H2O, distilled or deionized (chlorine-free).
Method
1.
Collect blood from a finger stick, and prepare a thin blood smear.
2.
Air-dry the blood smear.
3.
Fix the smear in methanol.
4.
Air-dry the fixed smear.
5.
Stain the fixed smear with acridine orange solution2.
6.
Examine the stained smear using an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope

with FITC filters.
Results
Parasite cytoplasmic RNA fluoresces red, while nuclear DNA fluoresces green, all
against a dark background. Thus, the Plasmodium trophozoites appear as red signet
rings with green stones.
Acridine orange staining for malaria diagnosis is significantly more sensitive than
Giemsa (or WrightGiemsa) staining. The greater sensitivity of is particularly
evident when parasitaemias are below 5000 per L. However, it is less specific, and
sometimes Giemsa staining is needed to precisely identify the species of malaria
parasite found. Acridine orange staining is very inexpensive, costing about 0.05
per test (Figure 6.1).
Notes
1.
Concentrations of acridine orange higher than 100 g/mL are not advised
because parasite nuclei may fluoresce red instead of green. A stock solution
of 0.5% acridine orange can be used to prepare the use dilutions. Solutions
can be protected from bacterial growth by adding a few drops of sodium azide
solution.
2.
Three ways to stain blood smears with acridine orange:
61
Figure 6.1 Fluorescent antibody stain of P. falciparum in a blood smear
a) Direct smear staining

1. Cover the smear with acridine orange solution, 3060 seconds.
2. Rinse the smear with H2O.
3. Place a coverslip on the wet smear.
b) Coverslip staining
1. Pipette the acridine orange solution onto a coverslip laid over two
applicator sticks.
2. Invert the slide with the fixed blood smear, and carefully place it on the
coverslip.
3. Invert the slide with the attached coverslip and acridine orange (the
acridine orange solution acts as a mounting medium).
c) Dip staining
1. Dip the slid smear in the acridine orange solution, 1 second.
2. Mount a coverslip on the stained smear (the acridine orange solution acts
as a mounting medium).
3. Acridine orange-stained slides can be washed with methanol and restained
with Giemsa or WrightGiemsa stain.
62
References
Gay F et al., 1996; Kawamoto F, 1991; Lowe BS et al., 1996.
6.1.7 Screening for trichomoniasis
Purpose
Convenient and sensitive screening test for Trichomonas vaginalis infection.
Approach
Acridine orange is used to stain slide smears of fresh vaginal specimens and those
mailed to the laboratory.
Materials
Acridine orange, 0.1% aqueous.
Note: this stock solution is made monthly and stored in a brown bottle in a refrigerator.
Phosphate buffer, 0.067 M, pH 6.0.

CaCl2, 1.1% aqueous.
Ethanol, 50%.
Saline, 0.85%.
Spray-Cyte.
Note: Spray-Cyte, Clay-Adams, New Jersey.
Cotton-tipped swab.
Method
1.
Obtain a vaginal specimen with a cotton-tipped swab.
2.
Place the swab in a test tube with 1 mL saline, and twirl it in the saline.
3.
Press the swab onto a microscope slide.
4.
Allow the smear to dry until tacky.
63
5.
Spray the smear with Spray-Cyte (this fixed smear may be mailed to the lab).
6.
Dip the slide in 50% ethanol 5 times.
7.
Air-dry the slide.
8.
Stain the slide smear with acridine orange, 4 minutes.

Note: excessively heavy smears need extra soaking in saline for several minutes. This allows the
nuclei of the protozoa to be more easily seen.
9.
Dip the slide in phosphate buffer, 1 minute.
10. Dip the slide in CaCl2 solution, 40 seconds.

11. Dip the slide in phosphate buffer.
12. Mount a coverglass on the stained slide in saline.
13. Examine the slide with a fluorescence microscope, FITC filters.
Results
Trichomonas cells appear as orange balls with a yellowgreen banana-shaped
nucleus.
Note: the method is superior to wet mounts examined immediately by phasecontrast, even when slides spent several days in the mail.
Reference
Hipp SS et al., 1979.
6.1.8 Early detection of microorganisms in blood cultures
Purpose
Early and economical detection of positive blood cultures.
Approach
Acridine orange fluorescence microscopy is used to examine samples from blood
culture bottles.
64
Materials
Broth blood culture incubated 6, 24 and 48 hours.
Acridine orange stain, pH 4.0.
Syringe, and needle (23 mL) or Pasteur pipette (sterile and clean).
Bacteriological loop.
Methanol, absolute.
Method
1.
Incubate the broth blood culture at 3537 C.
2.
Mix the blood culture before sampling it at 6, 24 and 48 hours.
3.
Remove a small sample of the culture with a sterile syringe and needle or
Pasteur pipette.
4.
Place a drop of the sample on a slide, and make a thin smear (a fluorescence
slide with masked wells may be used).
5.
Air-dry the smear for 30 minutes.
6.
Fix the smear in absolute methanol, 2 minutes.
7.
Air-dry the fixed smear.
8.
Cover the smear with acridine orange, 1 minute.
9.
Wash the slide in water.
10. Air-dry the slide.

11. Examine the slide by epi-fluorescence with FITC filters at 400600. Confirm
suspect positives at 1000.
Results
Orange organisms are seen against a green or dull yellow background. The colour
of the background varies with the type of broth used. White cells stain green, and
red cells do not stain.
65
Note: many investigators find the acridine orange method to examine blood cultures
much more efficient than Gram stain or subculturing. The acridine orange method
is recommended to replace subculturing to detect positive blood cultures. Using
acridine orange staining to check blood cultures is very economical.
References
Burdash NM et al., 1983; Hunter JS, 1983; Larson AM, 1994; Mirrett S, 1982;
Tierney BM, 1983.
6.2 Fluorescent acid-fast staining for diagnosing acid-fast

bacterial infections
Acid-fast staining and microscopic examination of sputum smears and other
specimens are usually the first steps in diagnosis of tuberculosis because it is a
simple, effective and rapid diagnostic method. Fluorescent acid-fast microscopy can
be done at relatively low magnifications giving large fields of view for fast, efficient
slide scanning. Thus, as compared with fuchsin-based acid-fast stains, detecting
tuberculosis bacilli in sputum of active tuberculosis cases with fluorescence
microscopy is about 10 times faster, and it is more sensitive, especially where few
tuberculosis bacilli are in the specimen, as in tuberculosis/AIDS cases. Fluorescent
acid-fast stains use the fluorochromes rhodamine or acridine orange.
Tuberculosis bacilli can infect bone. The lesion is softened bone and dead
tissue. In order to do diagnostic tests, the bone is exposed by surgery, and scrapings
of the lesion are spread thinly on a glass slide. These may show acid-fast bacilli.
Tuberculosis bacilli also cause meningitis. Sometimes acid-fast bacilli are
found in the cerebrospinal fluid, but they are few and difficult to detect. This is
usually done by culture. Tuberculosis bacilli can be concentrated from cerebrospinal
fluid by filtration through a polycarbonate filter. If stained on the filter by fluorescent
acid-fast stain, this may yield an early diagnosis of tuberculosis meningitis (see the
filtration method below).
Skin lesions caused by mycobacteria are usually due to the following:
Mycobacterium leprae, M. ulcerans and M. marinum. Leprosy is caused by
M. leprae. In the lepromatous form of the disease, the organisms are found in the
66
skin and sometimes other parts of the body as well. Microscopy is the only way to
detect these bacilli, since they cannot be grown in culture.
In some tropical areas, disfiguring Buruli ulcers are caused by M. ulcerans.
These begin as small swellings under the skin that enlarge until the overlying skin
dies, and then spreading, open ulcers form. Strongly staining acid-fast bacilli are
found in the subdermal tissue under the edge of the ulcer. Do not take specimens
for detecting these acid-fast bacilli from the centre of the lesion, as acid-fast bacilli
are not found there.
M. marinum can infect punctured or scraped skin that is exposed to the
organism, usually in open water or water in fish tanks. Acid-fast bacilli are found in
exudates from these ulcers, but the ulcers frequently heal with no complications.
6.2.1 Safety
Technician safety is a major concern in tuberculosis laboratories because
tuberculosis is very infectious. Aerosol droplets containing acid-fast bacilli that
are breathed into the lungs cause tuberculosis infection. Aerosols are created by
coughing, sneezing and talking, or by certain laboratory operations like stirring
or mixing liquids, breaking bubbles, or vibrating laboratory tools while working
with liquids. Centrifuging specimens in open containers releases aerosols. Since
liquids and moist materials spatter when heated in a flame, inoculating needles and
loops must be properly handled (see below). Be very careful when working with
tuberculosis specimens.
General rules to prevent laboratory infection
Avoid making aerosols.
Control aerosols that are made.
Provide airflow in the work area to carry aerosols away from technicians
Exhaust laboratory air away from other people.
Wear protective clothing.
Use respiratory protective masks.
Use appropriate disinfectants and sterilizing equipment.
67
Do not keep, eat or drink food or beverages in the laboratory.
Do not smoke in the laboratory.
Wash hands after doing bench work and before leaving the laboratory.
Use a ventilated safety cabinet, if available, or an enclosed ventilated safety

box.
To avoid making aerosols in the laboratory:
do not make or break bubbles in liquid specimens or cultures
do not vibrate or wave about inoculating equipment (i.e. loops and needles)
centrifuge tuberculosis specimens only in unbreakable plastic, tightly sealed,

screw-cap centrifuge tubes (a 3050 mL size tube is convenient for collection
and processing of sputum specimens)
clean loops and needles in a flask containing 70%95% alcohol in sand before
flame sterilizing (see Figure 6.2). Wire loops used to make sputum smears may
be reused after dipping them in 70%95% ethanol or methanol in sand and
then holding them in a flame until they glow. Dipping the wire loop in ethanol
dehydrates the specimen so that it does not spatter in the flame. The sand helps
remove large particles. The flame should be colourless or blue, because an
orange or red flame is usually not hot enough to sterilize the loop or needle.
Figure 6.2 Sterilizing a bacteriological loop safely
68
Commercial ventilated safety cabinets are very efficient, but expensive. They
should be used whenever available. Alternatively, a simple boxed-in area on a
tabletop with a front slot or armholes for working inside it can be used. It should
have an exhaust fan and vent in the back to draw air from the box to the outdoors.
This arrangement can give some protection to the laboratory technician.
In district hospital laboratories, optimum safety equipment may not be available,
but specimens must be processed. Breezes can supply air currents needed to carry
aerosols away from the immediate work area. An isolated one-room building with
free airflow through openings on all sides is good for doing tuberculosis work.
Technicians should work facing and close to a large open window on the downwind
side so that a good airflow comes from behind the technician and exits immediately
outside, away from others. Fans also can direct airflow. Cloth or paper strips hung
in the openings will show the airflow direction.
Wear effective protective clothing when preparing slide smears. Protective
clothing means lab coats or gowns, rubber or plastic gloves, bacteriological filter
masks (not ineffective cloth or gauze masks) and shoes used only in hazardous
laboratory areas.
Decontaminate all equipment exposed to possible contamination by infectious
materials and aerosols by disinfecting, autoclaving, boiling for 1015 minutes
or burning before being discarded or processed for reuse. Some cleaning and
disinfecting solutions contain phenolic compounds. These work well for killing
tubercle bacilli if intended for that purpose (Table 6.1). Be sure the manufacturer
tested the disinfectant on tuberculosis bacteria.
Sputum specimens that are not to be used for culture can be made much more
safe for processing by first treating them with hypochlorite solution. This treatment
both kills the acid-fast bacilli in the specimen and liquefies the sputum for easier
processing. Sodium hypochlorite solution (NaOCl) is usually used. It helps when
concentrating the specimen and greatly reduces laboratory infection hazards.
Common household bleach is suitable, 5% to 6% sodium hypochlorite.
The sodium hypochlorite treatment technique is as follows.
1.
Mix equal volumes of sputum and sodium hypochlorite solution in a screwcap centrifuge tube (the sodium hypochlorite solution may be added to the
collection container and used to help remove the sputum).
69
Table 6.1 Disinfectants for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Disinfectant
Concentration
Time
Remarks
Effective
Phenol derivatives (pH 25)
Ethanol
Isopropanol
4-dichlorobenzyl-alcohol
Hypochlorite3, 4 (free chlorine)
Formaldehyde1, 3 (pH 49)
Glutaraldehyde1, 2 (pH 49)
Hydrogen peroxide
Acetic acid
0.4%5% (aqueous)
70%80%
60%95%
0.2%
5001000 ppm
1%8%
2%3.2%
3%
2.5%
30 sec
30 sec
30 sec
20 min
90 min
skin disinfection
skin disinfection
skin disinfection
skin disinfection
corrosive
carcinogenic
tissue disinfection
wound disinfection
instruments, benches
Slightly effective
Iodine
Iodophor
skin disinfection
skin disinfection
Not effective
Alkali
Methanol
Quaternary ammonium
compounds
2.
Tighten the cap, and shake the tube, mixing the sputum and hypochlorite
solution.
3.
Let the mixture stand at least 10 minutes, but not more than 30 minutes.
4.
Add water to near the top of the tube, and balance the tubes for
centrifugation.
5.
Centrifuge at about 2000g for 15 minutes.
6.
Pour off the supernatant liquid into a proper disposal container and keep the
sediment.
7.
Mix the sediment in several drops of water.
8.
Make the slide smear from this suspension.
Note: much of the solid organic debris in the specimen is broken down by the sodium
hypochlorite. This material and the crystals that form as the slide smear dries wash
off during staining, but the acid-fast bacilli stay on the heat-fixed slide smear.
70
6.2.2 Specimen collection and handling

Collecting a specimen and getting it to the laboratory in proper condition is as
important as testing it in the laboratory. A poor quality specimen may yield bad or
misleading results. Handle specimens correctly.
Use clean containers, preferably glass or plastic. Dirt, wax, or oils may look
like acid-fast artefacts on the smear or may react with non-acid-fast bacteria and
cause them to look acid-fast, so be sure that specimen containers are completely
cleaned of these contaminants.
Specimen containers must be:
sturdy and leakproof
clean
have an identification label on the container, not on the lid.

Identifying information is:
patient name or number
date
patient location, i.e. address or hospital.
The sputum collection container should have an opening about 5 cm or more

across, with at least 30 mL capacity. Ideally, this container is the one that also is
used for processing the specimen, such as a large screw-cap plastic centrifuge tube.
Process sputum specimens on the day collected.
Work with tuberculosis patients in the open air or in a well ventilated area.
Medical personnel should wear bacteriological safety masks and rubber or plastic
gloves, if available, when working with patients and collecting specimens.
Get a sputum specimen early in the day, before the patient has eaten. To collect
sputum, instruct the patient as follows (Figure 6.3).
1.
Rinse your mouth with water before giving the specimen.
2.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or handkerchief and cough up the
specimen from deep in your chest. [The specimen must be sputum from the
lungs and not saliva or mucus from the mouth or nasal area. If the patient does
71
Figure 6.3 Collecting a sputum specimen
not cough spontaneously, have the patient take several deep breaths and then
hold his/her breath. Repeating this several times should induce coughing.]
3.
Hold the specimen container to your lower lip and gently release the sputum
from your mouth into the container. Dont spill any sputum.
4.
Put the cap on the container.
Sputum may be thick and mucoid or fluid with fine chunks of dead tissue from a
lung lesion. The colour may be a dull white or a dull light green. Bloody specimens
are red or brown. Thin, clear saliva from the mouth or nasal area is not acceptable
and is not used for laboratory examination.
Laryngeal swabs are usually not desirable for tuberculosis diagnosis, but
swabbing may be the only method to get specimens from small children and very
ill patients. Use a separate swab for each side of the throat. Hold the tongue down
with a tongue depressor and swab the throat area behind the tongue as far down as
can be reached easily. Make slide smears with the swabs.
72
Lepromatous leprosy is confirmed by the scraped incision method. Pinch

the skin toward the incision site from either side to prevent bleeding or oozing.
While pinch pressure is maintained, a small incision is made with a sterile scalpel,
45 mm long and 23 mm deep. Wipe away any blood or plasma, and scrape the
sides of the incision with the edge of the blade held at a right angle to the incision.
Spread the tissue specimen on a glass slide. Dress the incision with a small adhesive
bandage.
6.2.3 Slide preparation
Glass microscope slides for acid-fast staining of sputum specimens should
be new and clean. Used slides may be contaminated with material from previous
smears that could cause a false positive. Write the patients name or identification
number on one end of the slide. Some slides have a frosted end so that a pencil can
be used. For plain slides, scratch on identification with a diamond scriber or tungsten
carbide-tipped stylus. Spread the specimen material over approximately 2 1 cm
area with a 3 mm wire loop, applicator stick, swab or small pipette. Use applicator
sticks, swabs and pipettes for only one specimen and then discard them.
Smears for acid-fast microscopy are best made from sediment of specimens
concentrated by centrifugation or filtration through a polycarbonate membrane filter.
When a centrifuge or filter is not available, make a direct smear from the specimen.
Chunks of tissue, pus or caseous material (fine, pale-white, moist, granular material)
are the most likely places where tuberculosis bacilli can be found. Seek these in the
sputum specimen for preparing the slide smear. To make the caseous material easier
to see, pour the sputum gently into a small dark-coloured dish or a clear Petri dish
placed on a dark background.
A direct or concentrated sputum smear should appear cloudy before staining.
The smear is too thick if you cannot read print in a newspaper through the smear
when it is held 510 cm from the print. Smears that are too thick often wash off
during staining, or the acid-fast bacilli may be hidden by sputum debris. Figure 6.4
is a schematic for preparing a sputum slide.
73
Figure 6.4 Preparing a slide smear of sputum
Note: acid-fast bacilli lose the acid-fast property when exposed to ultraviolet
light, direct sunlight, overheating during flame fixing, or autoclaving. Avoid these
problems.
After the specimen is spread on the glass microscope slide, dry the smear
without heat and then heat-fix it. Use an electric slide warmer at 6575 C for at
least 2 hours, or quickly heat it over a flame as for other bacteriological slide smears.
Use a colourless or blue flame (produced by an alcohol or a gas burner) with the
smear side up. Immediately after the slide is passed over the flame, it should be hot
enough to cause slight pain when touched to the back of the hand. If there is no pain,
the slide is too cold; if there is much pain, the slide is too hot. Technicians learn to
judge how long to hold the slide over the flame to heat-fix the smear.
Warning. Heat-fixing does not always kill the acid-fast bacilli. Any of the smear
rubbed from the slide may be a potential source of infection.
74
6.2.4 Membrane-filter concentration of tuberculosis bacilli from

sputum for staining
Purpose
Increasing the sensitivity of detecting acid-fast bacilli in sputum specimens.
Approach
A sputum specimen for tuberculosis diagnosis is filtered through a polycarbonate
membrane filter; a slide smear prepared from the filter surface is stained with
fluorescent acid-fast stain and examined by epi-fluorescence microscopy.
Materials
Polycarbonate membrane filter (PMF), 1.0 and 0.45 m pore size, 25 mm
diameter.
Filter apparatus.
Vacuum source.
Centrifuge tube, plastic, 50 mL, screw-cap.
Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) 5%6%, (liquid laundry bleach).
Ethanol, 96% (filtered through a PMF, 0.45 m pore size).
H2O, deionized (filtered through a PMF, 0.45 m pore size).
Agar adhesive (0.1 g agar boiled in 100 mL filtered deionized H2O).
Glass microscope slide.
Auramine-phenol acid-fast stain.
Acridine orange counterstain (0.01 g acridine orange, 0.01 g Na2HPO4, 100 mL
distilled H2O).
Acidalcohol (0.5 mL HCl in 100 mL of 70% ethanol).
75
Method
1.
Place 2 mL of sputum specimen in the 50 mL plastic centrifuge tube.
2.
Add NaOCl to the sputum specimen in the centrifuge tube in the following
amounts:
4 mL: clear to light-coloured and liquid or moderately mucoid sputum; total
6 mL
8 mL: dark or very mucoid sputum specimens; total 10 mL.
Note: for highly mucoid sputum specimens, add an equal volume of NaOCl
to the sputum specimen, and thoroughly mix them. Then, transfer 4 mL of this
mixture to the centrifuge tube. Add 6 mL of NaOCl.
3.
Mix the sputum specimen and NaOCl solution by capping the centrifuge tube
tightly and inverting it up and down until the mixture is complete, about 1
minute maximum.
4.
Filter the mixture through the PMF, 1.0 m pore size, on the filter holder using
vacuum.
5.
Wash the filter with 1 mL of ethanol followed by 1 mL H2O.
6.
Place 2 drops of hot agar adhesive in the middle of a microscope slide.
7.
Remove the filter from the holder, and place it with the top (sediment side)
down on the agar adhesive. Be sure it lies flat on the slide.
8.
Stain the filter (in place on the slide) with the auramine O acid-fast stain,
15 minutes.
9.
Remove the filter from the slide, carefully peeling it off.
10. Rinse the slide with deionized H2O.

11. Flood the slide smear with acidalcohol, 2 minutes.
12. Rinse the slide with deionized H2O.
13. Drain it.
14. Flood the slide smear with acridine orange counterstain, 2 minutes.
15. Rinse the slide in tap water.
76
Figure 6.5 Tuberculosis bacilli concentrated on a polycarbonate filter

stained with auramine O acid fast stain and counterstained with acridine
orange, magnification 600
16. Air-dry the smear.

17. Examine the slide smear with an epi-illumination microscope, FITC filters.
Results
Positive: yellow fluorescing acid-fast bacilli are seen against an orange fluorescing
background.
Figure 6.5 shows tuberculosis bacilli concentrated on a polycarbonate filter
stained with auramine O acid fast stain and counterstained with acridine orange,
magnification 600.
Note: this method traps most of the acid-fast bacilli in a sputum specimen on the
surface of the filter. It is about as sensitive as culture, but much faster. It can be
used as a substitute for culture to diagnose tuberculosis. It is significantly more
sensitive for detecting acid-fast bacilli than are sputum specimens centrifuged or
directly applied to slides.
77
References
Smithwick RW, David HL, 1971; Smithwick RW, Stratigos CB, 1981.
6.2.5 Blair fluorescent acid fast stain
Purpose
Rapid, efficient detection of acid-fast bacilli in sputum smears.
Approach
Fluorescence acid-fast stain is used to brightly stain acid-fast bacilli against a dark
or black background of sputum debris.
Materials
Auramine Ophenol stain.
Acidalcohol.
Potassium permanganate, 0.5%.
The preparation of the reagents for the Blair method is described in Annex 13.
Method
1.
Prepare a sputum smear on a glass slide and fix by heating.
2.
Flood the slide smear with auramine Ophenol, 15 minutes.
3.
Rinse with distilled or deionized water (other clean water may be used as long
as it does not contain chlorine).
4.
Flood the slide smear with acidalcohol, 2 minutes.
5.
Rinse the slide smear, and drain it.
6.
Flood the slide smear with potassium permanganate solution, 2 minutes.
7.
Rinse, drain, and air-dry the slide smear (do not heat the smear).
8.
Examine the stained smear with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope,

FITC filter system.
78
Figure 6.6 Tuberculosis bacilli concentrated by centrifugation, stained

with auramine O fluorescence stain, and then treated with potassium
permanganate, magnification 200
Results
Yellow fluorescing bacilli are seen against a dark or black background.
Figure 6.6 shows tuberculosis bacilli concentrated by centrifugation, stained
with auramine O fluorescence stain, and then treated with potassium permanganate,
magnification 200.
Note: a number of authors have shown that fluorescent auramine O acid-fast stain
is superior to fuchsinphenol bright-field stain.
Reference
Blair EB et al., 1969.
6.2.6 Smithwick fluorescent acid fast stain
Purpose
Detection of acid-fast bacilli in sputum smears with a colour contrast
background.
79
Approach
Sputum smears are stained with auramine O to make acid-fast bacilli fluoresce
yellow, and they are counterstained with acridine orange at alkaline pH to stain the
background debris a contrasting orange.
Materials
Auramine O-phenol stain.
Acidalcohol.
Acridine orange counterstain.
The preparation of the reagents for the Smithwick method is described in Annex
13.
Method
1.
Prepare and heat-fix a sputum smear on a glass slide.
2.
Flood the smear with auramine Ophenol stain, 15 minutes.
3.
Rinse the smear with clean water (chlorine-free) and drain it.
4.
Flood the smear with acidalcohol, 2 minutes.
5.
Rinse the slide with clean water and drain it.
6.
Flood the smear with acridine orange counterstain, 2 minutes.
7.
Rinse, drain and air-dry the slide (do not heat).
8.
Examine the smear with a fluorescence microscope, FITC filter system.
9.
Scanning may be done at 200250 with confirmation of suspect acid-fast

bacilli at 400500.
Results
Yellow fluorescing acid-fast bacilli are seen against a background of red fluorescing
sputum debris.
80
Figure 6.7 Tuberculosis bacilli in sputum stained Smithwick auramine O

acid-fast stain and counterstained with acridine orange, magnification 200
Figure 6.7 shows tuberculosis bacilli in sputum stained using the Smithwick
method.
Note: the acridine orange fluorescent counterstain permits easy location of the
microscopic plane of the specimen. This is particularly helpful with negative sputum
smears.
Reference
Smithwick RW, David HL, 1971.
6.2.7 Phenolic acridine orange acid-fast stain
Purpose
Detection of acid-fast bacilli with efficient fluorescent acid-fast stain in sputum and
other specimens with a contrasting fluorescence colour background.
Approach
Fluorescent acid-fast staining of sputum smears is done using only two reagents
instead of three for simplicity and acid-fast bacilli detection efficiency.
81
Materials
Acridine orangephenol stain.
Acidalcoholmethylene blue.
The preparation of the reagents for this method is described in Annex 13.
Method
1.
Prepare a slide smear of a sputum specimen and air-dry it.
2.
Heat-fix the smear.
3.
Cover the smear with the acridine orange stain, 15 minutes.
4.
Rinse the smear with deionized water, and drain it.
5.
Cover the stained smear with the destain solution, 2 minutes.
6.
Rinse the smear with deionized water, drain it, and allow it to air-dry.
7.
Observe the smear with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope, scanning

at 200.
8.
Confirm bacterial morphology at 400600, no immersion oil.
Results
Red to orange stained acid-fast bacilli are seen against a pale yellow general
background that contrasts with the red acid-fast bacilli. Figure 6.8 shows
tuberculosis bacilli in direct sputum smear stained with acid-fast acridine orange,
magnification 200.
Note: reported results show this stain to be superior to auramine O acid-fast
staining.
Reference
Smithwick RW, et al. 1995.
82
Figure 6.8 Tuberculosis bacilli in direct sputum smear stained with acid-fast
acridine orange, magnification 200
6.2.8 Fluorescent acid-fast staining notes

Certain items need particular attention in fluorescent acid-fast staining.
Stain smears on staining racks, not in staining jars or dishes. Avoid transferring
acid-fast bacilli from one smear to another. A few acid-fast bacilli transferred
from one acid-fast positive smear to a negative one could cause the specimen
to be incorrectly reported as positive, and the patient might suffer improper
treatment.
Use water to rinse away solutions before the next solution is applied. After each
rinse, tilt the slide slightly to drain off excess rinse water that would dilute the
next solution.
Do not blot acid-fast stained smears (acid-fast bacilli may be transferred from
one smear to another).
Store staining solutions in dark bottles or closed cabinets to avoid exposure to

light.
83
Discard solutions contaminated with bacterial or fungal growth. Clean the

staining and stock bottles with acidalcohol. Sterilize them before reuse.
Remove precipitates or other solid material from fresh staining solutions by

filtering them through glass wool or filter paper.
Store stained slides only for a short time. Fluorochrome-stained smears will
not retain their fluorescence in long-term storage. For short-term storage, place
slides in the refrigerator.
Use control smears of mycobacterial cultures for stain controls and training. A
known positive sputum smear or a smear from a culture should be stained as a
control each day. Controls assure the technician that the staining solutions and
microscope are working properly.
Avoid heating auramine O. The fluorochrome is inactivated by temperatures

above 40 C and should not be heated to prepare staining solutions or when
staining slides. In tropical areas, it should be protected from heat in storage.
Interference with staining or fluorescence reduction may be due to:

smears that are too thick
using absorbent paper during staining
high chlorine content in rinse water
excess exposure of stained smear to potassium permanganate
exposing fluorescent stains to solutions of heavy metal ions.
Examine fluorochrome-stained smears as soon as possible. They usually lose

their fluorescence with time. Refrigeration will slow this process, but these
smears should be observed within 24 hours of staining. Do not stain smears
unless they can be examined soon after staining.
A fluorescent acid-faststained smear can be restained with a fuchsinphenol

staining method to confirm observations. However, a fuchsinphenolstained
smear cannot be restained for fluorescence microscopy.
7. Principles of
immunofluorescence microscopy
The terms immunofluorescence and fluorescent antibody describe the

combination of the high sensitivity of fluorescence microscopy with the strict
specificity associated with immunological methods. It is not only important that an
antigenantibody complex be seen by immunofluorescence microscopy but also
where it is seen. Often the shape of fluorescence is important. In the fluorescent
antibody technique, antigens are reacted with immunoglobulins that are labelled
(conjugated) with chemically stable fluorochromes. Fluorescent antibody conjugates
are used both for fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.
Immunofluorescence microscopy offers a number of advantages over other
ways of detecting and identifying antigens and antibodies, as well as advantages
over diagnostic culture methods. These are as follows.
Rapid results. Results are often obtained within one hour.
Pure antigen not needed. Specific antigens of organisms in mixtures of bacteria

and antigens in tissues can be detected and identified.
Wide application. Specimens unsatisfactory for analysis by other methods

often can be used for fluorescent antibody tests. Dead or difficult-to-grow
microorganisms in specimens can be detected and identified.
High sensitivity. A few pathogens among many contaminating organisms can

be detected and identified. Theoretically, one specific cell in a specimen can
be found and identified.
Intracellular organisms are detectable. Organisms protected from detection

by other methods because they are intracellular can be found by fluorescent
antibody.
86
Soluble antigen detection. Fluorescent antibody is suitable to locate and

identify soluble antigens, native antigens, and autoantibodies.
Simplicity. Fluorescent antibody techniques are simple because they need only
a few steps.
Low cost. The cost per test is low once the basic equipment is procured because
only small amounts of reagents are needed.
The disadvantages of the fluorescent antibody method are:
initial cost of fluorescence microscopy equipment
getting or training technical operators.
7.1 Procedures for fluorescent antibody staining

There are two basic methods of immunofluorescence microscopy, direct
fluorescent antibody (DFA) and indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA).
DFA is usually used to detect and identify antigens; for example, infectious
agents. IFA can detect and identify either antigens or antibodies. The difference lies
in which is the unknown factor.
DFA is the simplest and most commonly used method. Antigen preparations
such as fixed cells, bacteria, viruses, fungi, or histological sections on slides are
treated with antigen-specific fluorochrome-labelled antibody (the conjugate).
Then the slide is washed with buffered saline. Ideally, when the reaction is
specific, only those parts of the preparation that contain the antigen of interest
and immunologically bind the fluorescent antibody conjugate are visible with a
fluorescence microscope (Figure 7.1).
IFA is done in several steps. First the target antigen is fixed to a slide. Then,
a primary unlabelled antibody, specific for the antigen, is reacted with the antigen
on the slide. The third part is a secondary antibody specific for the species of
globulin used for the primary antibody. This antiglobulin antibody is labelled with
the fluorochrome. For example, if the specific antibody was made in a rabbit, then
an anti-rabbit serum conjugate is reacted with the antigen-antibody complex fixed
on the slide. IFA is also called a layering or sandwich method. This layering
often produces a brighter image than a direct fluorescent antibody test because
87
Figure 7.1 Principle of the direct fluorescent antibody method (DFA)
more fluorochrome molecules are present. Thus, the method is more sensitive than
DFA. Some investigators estimate it to be 10 times more sensitive. However, IFA
needs more controls than DFA because it is more subject to non-specific reactions
(Figure 7.2).
The main advantage of the IFA technique is that only one fluorescent conjugate
(secondary antibody) is needed to test for many different antigens. It is only
necessary to use a primary (non-labelled) antibody for each new antigen that is
prepared in the same animal species for which the secondary labelled antibody is
specific.
IFA also is used to demonstrate antibodies in blood serum, other body fluids
and tissue. To do this, a known antigen is fixed to a slide, and then it is reacted
with the unknown antibody. This can be done to detect and titre infectious disease
antibodies as well as antibodies to autoimmune diseases. IFA is most commonly
used to help diagnose autoimmune disease. In this use, patterns of antibody
immunofluorescence are shown in various types of tissue used as known antigen
substrates fixed on slides.
88
Figure 7.2 Principle of the indirect fluorescent antibody method (IFA)
The layering method can detect cell-bound antibody. Cells containing antibody
can be fixed to keep the antibody from leaching during the experiment. After adding
the antigen, the cells are incubated with fluorochrome-labelled antibody raised
against the antigen. Cells that carry a specific antigen can be identified under the
fluorescence microscope. This method is shown in Figure 7.3.
Complement fluorescent antibody staining is a modification of IFA. This also
allows identification of either antigen or antibody. It is a complement fixation test
with fluorescence as the end point. In this method, the fluorescent antiglobulin
conjugate, instead of being directed to the antibody, is directed specifically to anti
89
guinea pig complement in the reaction mixture. It is a two-step method. In the first
step, the antigen, antibody and complement are reacted together. After incubation
and subsequent washing, the fluorescent-labelled antiguinea pig globulin is
reacted with the complex formed from the three parts, and if it is positive, the result
is observed with a fluorescence microscope as fluorescence. Depending on the
Figure 7.3 Principle of the layering fluorescence method to detect cell

bound antibody
90
Figure 7.4 Principle of the fluorescent complement fixation test
known component of the reaction mixture, either antigen or antibody is specifically

identified. The procedure is shown in Figure 7.4.
Fluorescent antibody preparations should be examined immediately, especially
when photographic or fluorimetric recordings are to be made. However, preparations
can be stored overnight in a refrigerator, but they must be warmed up for about 10
minutes to room temperature before use. The controls, provided with code numbers,
should be examined first. If differences are observed, then clarification is needed
before the remaining test preparations are examined. When doing tissue studies
for autoimmune disease, comparison with a phase-contrast or interference-contrast
image is useful to exactly locate fluorescence on the tissue specimen.
7.2 Fluorochromes for fluorescent antibody conjugates

There are many fluorochromes that yield fluorescent colours across the
entire visible spectrum. However, only a few of these are practical to make
immunologically specific fluorescent antibody conjugates. The most common
fluorochromes used for fluorescent antibody are:
fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)
lissamine rhodamine B (RB 200)
tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC)
Texas Red
1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonic acid (DANS).
91
Other fluorochromes give less efficient fluorescence than those above or

result in unstable conjugates. The most commonly used fluorochrome is FITC.
It fluoresces a bright yellowish green. This is easily seen under a fluorescence
microscope.
The fluorochromes RB 200, TRITC and Texas Red are used to make fluorescent
antibody conjugates that fluoresce orange or red. These are used in protein-tracing
studies of tissues to define different areas and structures and to differentiate these
from other parts fluorescing green with FITC conjugates.
DANS is rarely used today because FITC is more efficient and can be
stimulated to produce fluorescence by blueviolet light. DANS fluoresces yellow
when excited by UV light.
The excitation and emission curves of FITC, TRITC and RB 200 are shown
in Figure 7.5.
7.3 Counterstains and counterstaining

Fluorescent counterstains for FITC conjugates reduce the effects of
autofluorescence or non-specific staining and can increase contrast. Counterstaining
is done with contrasting colour fluorochromes, usually red or orange. There are
various ways to increase contrast and reduce autofluorescence or non-specific
staining of a sample. Some are listed below.
Treating with Eriochrome black (CI 14645) used as a 1:30 or 1:60 w/v solution
in distilled water for immunofluorescence of lymphocytes. One drop of this
solution is added to the preparation after the last wash and, after 10 seconds,
washed off with phosphate buffered saline.
Counterstaining with rhodamine-labelled serum albumin mixed with the FITC

conjugate.
92
Figure 7.5 Excitation and emission spectra of FITC (top), TRITC (middle) and
RB 200 (bottom)
93
Treating the preparation with treated with a 0.01% to 0.1% w/v solution
of Evans blue for 15 minutes after incubation, followed by washing with
phosphate buffered saline.
Adding 0.02% w/v brilliant cresyl blue (CI 51010) or eosin (CI 45400) to the
last wash.
The procedures for counterstaining are described in Section 9.8.
7.4 Controls of undesirable fluorescence and non-specific

reactions
False negative as well as false positive observations may be made during
fluorescence microscopy. Such observations may result from inappropriate antigen
substrates or antibodies, the methods used, the microscope or even the investigator.
False negative observations can only be recognized if pure antigen and antibody,
as well as standard or reference substances and defined antigen substrates, are
available for controls. False positive observations can be caused for reasons that are
not always identified. Usually, a positive result is characterized by structure-specific
fluorescence of typical colour, with faint controls. In certain cases clear observation
can be difficult or impossible because of unwanted or background fluorescence.
Unwanted fluorescence can be caused by:
autofluorescence
staining by free dye in the labelled serum
nonspecific staining of eosinophils, basophils or other structures by acidic or

degraded proteins, especially those with high F/P ratios, and for conjugates that
are relatively insoluble in aqueous solutions
nonspecific reactions with cross-reacting or polyvalent antibodies (i.e.

undesired specific staining)
binding of immunoglobulins to physiological receptors, for example, Fc

receptors.
Controls of specificity should be carried out in defined test systems. Testing

of suitability using special test procedures gives the best protection against false
positives. The following controls for specificity are recommended.
94
Staining should occur only in preparations that contain antigen. The staining
should affect only the antigen.
No staining should occur with fluorochrome-labelled non-immune serum.
On preincubation with non-labelled immune serum prior to incubation with

labelled immune serum there should be a reduction in fluorescence intensity
whereas this should not occur after preincubation with non-immune serum.
If the labelled serum is absorbed using the homologous antigen, staining should
be inhibited, but not when a heterologous antigen is used.
Fc-free antibody cleavage products should be used, for example, Fab or

F(ab)2, to exclude binding to Fc receptors.
Simple controls based on histochemical criteria are summarized below.
7.4.1 Controls during direct immunofluorescence (example: kidney

biopsy)
Haematoxylin and eosin (HE) or other staining procedure for correct orientation
and identification of tissue elements.
Blank sections to establish levels of autofluorescence: incubation with

phosphate buffered saline alone.
Negative control: a preparation that does not contain the sought-after

antigens, e.g. immunoglobulins.
Positive control: a preparation that contains the antigens.
Incubation with a conjugate directed against other proteins, e.g. antihuman

albumin, which point, for example, to the presence of an exudate.
7.4.2 Controls during indirect immunofluorescence for the detection

of auto-antibodies
Haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining should be done for correct orientation
and identification of tissue elements.
Blank sections should be included to establish levels of autofluorescenceincubation with phosphate buffered saline alone.
95
Conjugate controls (incubation with conjugate alone) should be included to

establish the levels of non-specific staining especially with high fluorochrome
content.
Normal serum or negative controls: incubation should be included in the

presence of normal serum at low dilutions, in order to establish non-specific
binding by proteins that do not have a specific antibody function. (Some are
able to bind antigen at high concentrations and cannot be removed during
washing: this may occur with a high antibody content for the conjugate.)
Positive controls: incubation should be done with a reference or standard

serum that must be positive at a predetermined titre.
7.4.3 Controls for detecting complement-binding antibodies

Haematoxylin and eosin (HE) or other stain for correct orientation and
identification of tissue elements.
Incubation with test serum, inactivated complement and conjugate (labelled

anti-complement).
Incubation with normal serum, complement and conjugate.
Incubation with test serum and conjugate.
Incubation with complement and conjugate.
Incubation with conjugate alone.
Additional controls must be carried out, or the conjugate changed, if no

clarification is achieved using the above controls. The number of controls for
specificity depend on the particular investigation. One must keep in mind, however,
that the specificity and sensitivity of immunofluorescence cannot be better than that
of the antisera and conjugates used.
7.5 Control of pH
A very important factor when using fluorescent antibody with FITC conjugates
is the pH of the system and reagents, especially the pH of the cover glass mounting
medium. At pH 7.0, fluorescence of FITC diminishes fast, and becomes very dim
below pH 7.0. Today, most fluorescent antibody testing done with FITC conjugates
96
is at a pH between 8.5 and 9.0, achieved with carbonate buffers, especially in the
buffered glycerol mounting medium. The optimum is pH 8.6. A pH above 9.0
may interfere with immunological reaction and detailed morphology of some
tissue sections. At a pH range of 8.59.0, fluorescence fading is also reduced. It is
recommended to check the pH of the mounting medium at least monthly, preferably
at weekly intervals. Oxidation and CO2 absorption reduce the pH of glycerol. Since
the pH of the buffers used in fluorescent antibody is critical, a pH meter is essential
equipment for immunofluorescence microscopy.
7.6 Preventing fluorescence fading (photobleaching)

When a fluorochrome is excited by light to fluoresce, the fluorescence is
bright at first and then begins to fade with continued excitation. This is because
a molecule of fluorochrome can emit only a certain number of photons during its
photochemical lifetime. Fluorescence fading is caused by the interaction of light
and oxygen on the stained specimen. Oxygen bleaches the fluorochrome faster or
more slowly, depending on the light intensity. Low light level excitation does not
prevent fading; it simply reduces the rate of fading.
Fluorescence of different fluorochromes fades at different rates and for some,
changes colour. FITC conjugates fade to half their intensity in about 30 seconds at pH
7.2. For RB 200 conjugates this happens in about two minutes. Also, RB 200 conjugates
change colour from redorange to yellow. This yellow fluorescence tends to last.
Fading is not very important during direct observation of fluorescent specimens
for disease diagnosis because fluorescence brightness usually lasts long enough to
allow adequate observation. It is possible to shift to a nearby microscope field on
the slide that will have bright fluorescence. However, it does become a problem
during photomicrography. Protection from fading (slowing the process) can be
done three ways:
reduce exposure time to the excitation light
reduce intensity (brightness) of the excitation light
deoxygenate the environment of the fluorochrome-stained specimen.
Fluorescence fading occurs two ways: short-term fading during observation or

photomicrography and long-term fading over time during storage of fluorochrome-
97
stained slides. When preparing for photomicrography, the specimen should be

exposed to excitation light as little as possible, just to get orientation on the
specimen and do focusing. Then the excitation light is removed. A light stop in the
light path of mercury or xenon lamps is convenient. Halogen lamps can simply
be turned off. Full exposure of the stained specimen to the excitation light should
await actual photography.
Photomicrographs are usually taken using fast colour film to reduce exposure
time, but there is some loss of sharpness with faster films due to increased grain.
Films of ASA 200 and above are often used. Epi-illumination reduces the time
needed for exposure, as does using a high numerical aperture objective with a
relatively low power ocular, 5 to 8. With anti-fading agents, photomicrography
can be done with longer exposures using slower fine-grain films to give sharper
images. Digital cameras can be used for photomicrographs. Advantageously, when
using digital imaging, development of colour films is no more required.
Anti-fading agents are added to cover glass mounting media to reduce the rate
of fading. These make good fluorescence last 10 to 20 times longer than mounting
media without them. Unfortunately, some of these chemicals tend to quench the
initial fluorescence in a specimen, making initial fluorescence less bright. However,
other chemicals actually increase the initial fluorescence. Practical anti-fading
chemicals are:
p-phenylenediamine (PPD)
n-propyl-gallate (NPG; trade name is Mowiol)
1,4-diazabicyclo(2.2.2)-octane (DABCO)
sodium dithionite (sodium hydrosulfite) (SDT).
The preferred mounting medium to dissolve these chemicals is 90% glycerol,

buffered at pH 8.59.0. The buffer may be either carbonate or TRIS-based.
However, glycerol mounting medium buffered at pH 7.47.6 is also satisfactory
for fluorochromes that are less sensitive to pH than FITC, such as rhodamine dyes.
The pH 8.59.0 mounting media used with some of the anti-fading agents tend to
give brighter background fluorescence.
Each anti-fading chemical has favourable and unfavourable characteristics.
Characteristics are listed in Table 7.1. It is up to individual investigators to choose
the one that suits their needs best.
98
Table 7.1 Characteristics of anti-fading reagents

Chemical
Fading
reduction
Initial
fluorescence
Storage conditions
needed
Toxic
PPD
Very good
Reduced
20 C, dark
Yes
NPG (Mowiol)
Good
Reduced
Room temperature, light OK

(precipitates form in two weeks)
No
DABCO
Good
Increased
No
Very good
Increased
No
SDT
Some of these chemicals are difficult to dissolve in glycerol. PPD and NPG
are dissolved in 90% glycerol with constant stirring in about 2 hours. Alternatively,
NPG can be tumbled overnight in 90% glycerol and the buffer added the next day.
DABCO requires gentle heat at 37 C to dissolve it in glycerol.
For fluorescein and acridine orange, treatment with sodium dithionite (SDT)
increases initial fluorescence for about 5 minutes before it begins to fade slowly.
SDT is an effective anti-fading agent, but it has not received much attention.
PPD is a very good fluorescence fading retardant, but it reduces initial
fluorescence. DABCO is a less effective retardant but increases initial fluorescence.
Mixing in the mounting medium with both reagents together increases high initial
fluorescence and slows fading. Amounts of the anti-fading chemicals can be varied
over a range. Recommended amounts to use are as follows.
Chemical
Mounting medium (g/L)
PPD
NPG
20
DABCO
SDT
3.5
Preparation of mounting media containing anti-fading agents is as follows.

PPD in buffered glycerol
1.
Dissolve 100 mg of PPD in 10 mL of buffered saline, phosphate buffered saline

or carbonate buffered saline.
2.
Add this solution to 90 mL of glycerol dropwise while stirring. Avoid exposure

of PPD solution to light.
3.
99
Store suitable sized aliquots of stock PPD solution in the freezer at 20 C.
NPG in buffered glycerol

1.
Mix 5 g of NPG in 90 mL of glycerol.
2.
Stir this mixture on a magnetic stirrer for about 2 hours to dissolve the NPG
(alternatively, shake it in a stoppered test tube overnight).
3.
Add 10 mL of buffered saline (phosphate buffered saline or carbonate buffered

saline) and mix well.
DABCO in buffered glycerol

1.
Dissolve 2.5 g of DABCO in 90 mL of glycerol in a 37 C water bath.
2.
Add 10 mL of buffered saline (phosphate buffered saline or carbonate buffered

saline) and mix well.
SDT in phosphate buffer

1.
Dissolve 3.5 g of SDT in 100 mL of phosphate buffer, pH 5.5.
2.
Add the buffered SDT to glycerol at a 1:9 ratio.
3.
Alternatively, dissolve SDT in carbonate buffered glycerol, 3.5 grams per

litre.
Notes
1.
For FITC, adjust the solutions to pH 8.6 with 0.5 M bicarbonate buffer, pH
9.0, and/or NaOH, 1 M.
2.
Protect these solutions from light. Keep them in clear glass bottles wrapped
in aluminium foil. Do not use brown bottles, as this may obscure precipitates
that might form.
7.7 Fixatives and fixation methods

An essential step in preparing organisms and specimens for examination by
fluorescent antibody is fixation. This process immobilizes soluble antigens in place
100
and makes specimens adhere to slides during the staining process. Antigens are
fixed by various chemicals or simple heat for certain bacteria and fungi specimens.
Four variable factors are involved in fixation, namely:
chemical used
concentration of chemical
temperature
time.
For each antigen fluorescent antibody system the best fixation method must be
found experimentally. Successful methods are indicated as guidelines for choice of
fixation method (Table 7.2).
Chemical used. Methanol is a powerful fixative for many antigens. Ethanol

is also recommended, as is acetone. Commonly, 95% ethanol for 30 minutes
or acetone for 10 minutes, each at room temperature, is used. Formalin, alone
or in combination with pH-neutralizing chemicals, also is a commonly used
fixative.
Table 7.2 Fixation methods for various antigens in specimens

Fixative and/or method
Antigen
Acetone
Bacteria, fungi, viruses
Carbon tetrachloride
Viruses
Ethanol, absolute (02 C)
Tissue antigens
Ethanol, 95%
Bacteria, fungi, viruses
Ethanol, 70%
Bacteria
Ethanolether
Immunoglobulin
Ethanolglacial acetic acid
Viruses
Formalin, 10%
Viruses
Formalin, neutral (1%, 4% or 10%)
Tissue sections, rickettsiae, viruses
Formolsaline, 10%
Tissue sections
Heat, flame
Bacteria, fungi
Heat, slide heater
Bacteria, fungi
Methanol, absolute
Fungi
Osmic acid
Viruses
101
Concentration. Concentration of chemical is an important variable in some

cases. Ethanol is often used at 95%, but 70% is thought to do the most fixation.
Absolute ethanol at 100% is less active. Acetone and methanol usually are
used at 100%. Formalin, alone or with various other chemicals to neutralize
or assist action, is used at 1%, 4%, or 10% concentrations, depending on the
test system.
Temperature. In general, the lower the temperature of the fixative, the less
fixation happens. Fixation with solvents is mostly done at room temperature,
but temperatures such as 37 C, room, 20 C, and even 76 C have been
suggested. Delicate labile antigens are better preserved at lower temperatures,
but fixation takes longer. For most bacterial and fungal culture preparations,
simple heat-fixation is adequate. A slide smear of a specimen or culture is
gently heated in a flame until it is almost too hot to touch. This also can be
done on a slide heater at a lower, controlled temperature for a longer period.
Time. Various experts recommend several seconds to a few hours for fixation
of various antigens. If the fixation period is very short, only adhesion to the
slide and dehydration is achieved.
Some fixatives commonly used in histology, histochemistry and electron

microscopy are not suitable for fluorescent antibody studies. These include Carnoy
fluid, Bouin fluid, Zenker fluid and gluteraldehyde. They are unsuitable because
they cause non-specific fluorescence, suppress fluorescence or disrupt antigen
antibody reactions.
7.8 Direct fluorescent antibody tests for infectious

disease diagnosis
7.8.1 Detection of pathogenic enteric bacteria in faecal suspensions
(example: pathogenic Escherichia coli)
Purpose
Detection and identification of bacteria in a contaminated specimen.
Approach
Direct fluorescent antibody is done on faecal specimens for specific bacteria.
102
Materials
Reagents
Phosphate buffered saline (phosphate buffered saline), pH 7.47.5.
Saline, 0.5%.
Mounting medium, pH 8.59.0 (carbonate buffered).
AntiE. coli fluorescent antibody conjugate (rabbit serum) (conjugate specific for
type sought, for example O157:H7).
Normal rabbit globulin conjugate (negative control).
Faecal specimen swab samples or rectal swab samples.
Method
1.
Add 0.5 mL saline to test tubes.
2.
Place the faecal swab in the saline. Agitate the swabs and squeeze liquid from
the swab on the side of the tube.
3.
Etch two circles about 1012 mm diameter slide using a diamond scriber, or
use commercial slides with masked circles.
4.
Prepare duplicate smears on the slide using a loop to spread the suspension.
Air-dry and flame-fix the smears.
5.
Place a drop of antiE. coli conjugate in one circle and a drop of the normal
globulin conjugate in the other circle.
6.
Use an applicator stick to gently spread the drop over each smear. (Take care
to avoid mixing the drops.)
7.
Stain the slide for 15 minutes in a moist chamber.
8.
Shake off excess stain, and rinse the slides in phosphate buffered saline for 10
minutes.
9.
Drain the slide and blot it with bibulous paper.
103
Figure 7.6 Fluorescent antibody stain of E. coli in a faecal suspension
10. Mount cover glasses on the stained smears with mounting fluid, pH 8.59.0.
11. Examine the slide under the microscope with a 40 objective and with a 100
(oil) objective for confirmation (Figure 7.6).
7.8.2 Diagnosis of diphtheria from throat swabs (Corynebacterium
diphtheriae)
Purpose
Rapid, specific diagnosis of diphtheria.
Approach
Fluorescent antibody is used to identify bacteria following enrichment culture of
specimens.
Materials
104

Reagents
AntiC. diphtheriae FITC conjugates.
Normal rabbit globulin FITC conjugate.
Heart infusion broth + 0.5% glucose, 1 mL (slants of C. diphtheriae selective agar
may also be used, as may Loeffler agar slants).
Method
1.
Place the throat sample swab into the heart infusion broth (alternatively, place
it on a Loeffler agar slant).
2.
Incubate the swab in broth for four hours at 37 C (incubate slants for 1824
hours at 3537 C).
3.
Remove the swab from the broth, and express the liquid on the side of the tube
(discard the swab safely).
4.
Centrifuge the broth culture to pack the cells. Discard the supernatant liquid.
5.
Resuspend the sediment in phosphate buffered saline, a few drops only.
6.
Prepare duplicate smears in 1012 mm circles scored on the slide. Gently heatfix the smears in a flame.
7.
Add one drop of antiC. diphtheriae conjugate to one circle.
8.
Add one drop of normal globulin conjugate to the other circle.
9.
Use an applicator stick held at an angle resting on one edge of the slide to spread
each drop. Do not touch the surface of the smear. Do not allow the drops to
mix.
10. Wash the slide in phosphate buffered saline, 10 minutes. Change the phosphate
buffered saline once (a coplin jar is useful).
11. Blot the slide with bibulous paper.
12. Examine the slide with the fluorescence microscope. Compare results in both
circles.
105
7.8.3 Diagnosis of whooping cough (Bordetella pertussis or

B. parapertussis)
Purpose
Detection and identification of Bordetella pertussis and B. parapertussis from
respiratory specimens.
Approach
Direct fluorescent antibody is done on nasopharyngeal swab specimens following
a brief culture pre-incubation.
Materials
Basic fluorescence microscopy.
Conjugated antiB. pertussis.
Conjugated antiB. parapertussis.
Conjugated normal chicken globulin.
Reagents
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4.
Cover glass mounting medium, pH 8.59.0.
Casamino acids, 1%.
Ethanol, 95%.
Collection supplies.
Cotton or Dacron swab.
Specimen preparation
1.
Take a nasopharyngeal swab specimen.
2.
Place the swab in 0.3 mL of Casamino acid solution.
3.
Incubate this culture at 37 C for one hour, preferably in a water bath.
106
4.
Spread the incubated specimen on three slides a, b and c.
5.
Allow the slides to air-dry.
6.
Fix the slides in 95% ethanol for 1 minute, or gently heat-fix the slide in a
flame.
Fluorescent antibody test method

1.
Add a drop of conjugate to each slide:

a.
antiB. pertussis
b.
antiB. parapertussis
c.
normal chicken globulin.
2.
Spread the conjugates across the smear with a clean applicator stick rested on
one edge. Do not touch the smear.
3.
Incubate the slides at room temperature for 30 minutes in a moisture

chamber.
4.
Wash the conjugates from the slides with phosphate buffered saline.
5.
Place the slides in a staining jar of phosphate buffered saline. Agitate gently.
6.
Change the phosphate buffered saline rinse bath twice.
7.
Remove the slides from the phosphate buffered saline and gently blot them dry
with bibulous paper. Allow them to completely air-dry.
8.
Place a drop of mounting medium, pH 8.59.0, on each slide.
9.
Place a cover glass on each drop. Avoid trapping air bubbles.
10. Examine each smear with a fluorescence microscope.

11. Magnification of 500 to 600 (oil immersion) is used, but it may help to
confirm suspected positives at 1000 (oil).
Reference
Halperin SA et al., 1989.
107
7.8.4 Detection of virus antigens in circulating leukocytes

(encephalitis virus)
Purpose
Diagnosis of virus infections in which the virus antigens can be found in white
blood cells of various types.
Approach
Leukocytes are separated and concentrated from a blood specimen, and direct
fluorescent antibody is used to detect encephalitis virus antigen in the leukocytes.
Materials
Syringe and needle, 5 mL.
Test tube, 16 125 mm, screw cap (alternatively, 17 100 mm stoppered tube).
Water bath, 37 C.
Wintrobe pipettes with rubber bulb.
Membrane filter apparatus.
Membrane filters, 47 mm diameter, 0.45 m pore size.
Reagents
Sodium heparin solution, 100 units per 1.0 mL.
Bovine fibrinogen solution, 6%.
Saline solution, 0.15M.
Acetone.
Fluorescent antibody conjugates.
AntiJapanese B encephalitis virus (rabbit origin).
Normal rabbit gamma globulin.
108
Antiserum (blocking control): antiJapanese B serum.

Counterstain: Evans blue.
Specimen processing
1.
Draw 5 mL of blood.
2.
Expel the blood gently into a 16 125 mm screw cap test tube (optional
17 100 mm plastic tube with a stopper) containing 500 units (0.5 mL) of
sodium heparin solution (1000 IU/mL). Cap the tube and mix it thoroughly
but gently.
3.
Add an equal volume (5.5 mL) of 6% bovine fibrinogen solution to the

heparinized blood.
4.
Mix the tube thoroughly but gently.
5.
Incubate the mixture at 37 C for approximately 1530 minutes (water bath).

Note: the time depends on the rate of erythrocyte settling. The supernatant fluid is carefully
removed when the erythrocytes have settled to about half the vertical distance of the mixture in the
vial.
6.
Transfer the cloudy supernatant fluid to another screw-cap test tube.
7.
Centrifuge the tightly capped tube at 800g for 5 minutes.
8.
Decant and discard the clear supernatant fluid.
9.
Resuspend (gently) the sediment in 10 mL of membrane-filtered 0.15 M NaCl

solution.
10. Centrifuge again as in step 7 above.

11. Decant 9.5 mL of the clear supernatant fluid.
12. Resuspend the sediment in the remaining 0.5 mL of fluid.
13. Prepare slide smears from this suspension. Air-dry the smears.
14. Fix the smears in cold acetone, 14 C for 30 minutes. (An ice bath may be
used to cool the acetone.)
15. Air-dry the smears. (Slides should be stained and examined as soon as possible.
Fixed slides may be stored in the refrigerator if necessary, but for no longer
than one week.)
109
Conjugate treatment
1.
Treat both antiJapanese B and normal conjugates in an identical manner.
2.
Thaw frozen conjugate. If it is cloudy, check its pH, being sure the pH is above
pH 7.2. If necessary, adjust the pH using 0.1 N NaOH.
3.
Weigh out 100 mg of human placenta tissue powder for each 1 mL of conjugate
and mix the tissue powder with an excess of phosphate buffered saline in a
centrifuge tube.
4.
Centrifuge the mixture at the highest possible speed.
5.
Decant and discard the supernatant phosphate buffered saline.
6.
Add the conjugate to the tissue powder. Mix thoroughly.
7.
Incubate the powderconjugate mixture at room temperature, preferably

around 25 C, for 30 minutes.
8.
Resuspend the powder at least every 5 minutes.
9.
Centrifuge the tube at the highest possible speed.
10. Decant the conjugate, and filter it with a membrane, pore size 0.45 m.
11. Measure the volume of the conjugate, and add 1 part of RB 200bovine serum
albumin counterstain per 10 parts of conjugate. The conjugate is now ready for
use. If it is sterile, it may be kept at 4 C for up to two weeks without significant
loss of potency. Discard a prepared conjugate after two weeks.
Fluorescent antibody staining procedure
1.
Fluorescent antibody stain three smears:

a.
antiJapanese B encephalitis virus conjugate
b.
negative conjugate control
c.
blocking control.
2.
Stain the air-dried, fixed smears in a moisture chamber, 3537 C for 30

minutes.
3.
Rinse the stained slides for 23 minutes in each of three changes of carbonate
bicarbonate buffer, pH 9.0.
110
4.
Dip the slides quickly in and out of a filtered distilled water bath, and mount
cover glasses on the slides using carbonatebicarbonate buffered glycerol.
Specimen slide examination

1.
Examine the slides using the fluorescence microscope: 10 ocular, 50 (oil)

objective, alternatively a 5 or 6 ocular with the 100 (oil) objective.
2.
Compare the amount, degree, and morphology of yellow-green fluorescence

in leukocytes in the two smears.
3.
Record all results.
4.
Examine coded slides, including the controls, under the epi-fluorescence

microscope, and record the results as indicated in 1, 2, and 3 above.
Fluorescent antibody controls
Negative conjugate control. Use normal rabbit globulin conjugate to stain

leukocyte smears in the same manner as staining using the antiJapanese
B conjugate. The normal conjugate is prepared from normal rabbit serum
in precisely the same manner as the antiJapanese B conjugate. Before use,
it should be tissue powderabsorbed and mixed with counterstain as with
the antiJapanese B conjugate. Do not use other normal conjugates for this
control.
Expected result: little or no green fluorescence in leukocytes.
Blocking control. Before fluorescent antibody staining by the standard

procedure for staining a fixed leukocyte smear with the antiJapanese B
conjugate, a 1:2 dilution of a specific antiserum is reacted with the smear for 30
minutes, and then washed off in several changes of phosphate buffered saline.
Then fluorescent antibody stain the smear.
Expected result: reduction or elimination of positive green specific staining.
Positive control. Positive leukocyte smears should be used. One such smear
should be incorporated in each slide series if possible. The staining by the
normal rabbit conjugate is negative or minimal. However, remember that
leukocytes present some special non-specific fluorescence problems. These
are partially overcome by the method of conjugate preparation, placenta tissue
111
powder absorption and counterstaining. However, careful interpretation and

controls are still required.
7.8.5 Diagnosis of leptospirosis in blood, urine, or cultures
(Leptospira spp.)
Purpose
Detection and identification of Leptospira spp. in clinical specimens.
Approach
Direct fluorescent antibody is used to detect the organisms in urine, other body
fluids and cultures.
Materials
Reagents
AntiLeptospira spp.
Normal rabbit globulin.
Support reagents.
Mounting medium, pH 8.59.0.
Stewart medium base.
Leptospira enrichment medium.
Ethanol, absolute.
Controls
Positive control: Leptospira culture or commercial Leptospira serotypes.
Non-specific staining: normal rabbit globulin conjugate on specimen.
112
Specimen preparation
A. Specimens to examine
1.
Urine (after the first week of illness).
2.
Cerebrospinal fluid (first week to 10 days of illness).
3.
Blood (first week to 10 days of illness).
4.
Culture in Stewart medium.
B. Procedure
1.
Smear the specimen on a slide.
2.
Allow the smear to air-dry.
3.
Fix the smear in absolute ethanol, 10 minutes.
C. Specimen processing
1.
2.
Blood.
a.
collect 5 mL of blood into 0.5 mL 1% sodium oxalate or 1.0 mL of

1% sodium heparin
b.
centrifuge at 500g for 15 minutes
c.
transfer the supernatant to another tube
d.
centrifuge this tube at 1500g for 30 minutes
e.
discard the supernatant
f.
prepare a smear from the sediment
g.
fix the air-dried smear 10 minutes in absolute ethanol.
Cerebrospinal fluid, urine or broth culture.

a.
centrifuge the specimen at 1500g for 15 minutes
b.
prepare a slide smear from the sediment
c.
fix the air-dried slide smear in absolute ethanol for 10 minutes.
Fluorescent antibody test method

1.
React the slide specimen with the fluorescent antibody conjugates (anti
113
Leptospira spp. and normal rabbit globulin) in a moist chamber for 2 hours at
37 C.
2.
Wash the slide in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4, for 30 minutes. Do two
changes of phosphate buffered saline in this period.
3.
Drain the slide.
4.
Mount a cover glass on the slide with a drop of mounting medium, pH 8.5
9.0.
5.
Examine the slide with the fluorescence microscope (FITC filters) at 600
magnification.
6.
Check suspect positives for morphology at 1000 magnification.
Reference
White FH, Ristic M, 1959.
7.8.6 Virus detection in mucoid respiratory specimens (respiratory
syncytial virus)
Purpose
Improved detection of respiratory syncial virus (RSV) in clinical respiratory
specimens.
Approach
Indirect fluorescent antibody to detect and identify viruses in cells from
nasopharyngeal secretions processed with dithiothreitol followed by centrifugation
through Percoll to separate cells from mucus.
Materials
Automatic pipette, 5 mL tip, bore widened for mucus suction.
Centrifuge tube, 15 mL.
Pasteur pipette and rubber bulb.
114
Reagents
Fluorescent antibody reagents.
Anti-RSV (bovine origin).
Anti-bovine conjugate.
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 + dithiothreitol (10 mM).
Percoll, 45%.
Percoll, 20%.
Acetone, cold.
Sodium azide, 5%.
Specimen preparation and processing
1.
Collect respiratory specimens (nasopharyngeal secretion, sputum,

bronchoalveolar lavage).
2.
Dilute the specimen 1:2 to 1:5 in phosphate buffered salinedithiothreitol.

(Higher dilutions are used for thicker mucus specimens.)
3.
Aspirate the specimen and phosphate buffered salinedithiothreitol several

times in and out of a 5 mL pipette to mix it well.
4.
Transfer the diluted specimen (210 mL) to a centrifuge tube.
5.
Mix the diluted specimen with half the volume of 45% Percoll (final
concentration of Percoll: 15%).
6.
Place a 1 mL Percoll (20%) cushion under the specimen in the tube slowly with
a Pasteur pipette (through the specimen).
7.
Centrifuge the tube at 700g for 5 minutes.
8.
Remove the supernatant fluid by aspiration.
9.
Resuspend the cell pellet in the bottom of the centrifuge tube in 0.11.0 mL of
115
10. Pipette drops of the cell suspension on to a glass slide.

12. Fix the cells on the slide in cold acetone, 5 minutes.
Fluorescent antibody staining (indirect)
1.
React the cells with bovine anti-RSV antiserum, 10 minutes.
2.
Wash the anti-serum from the slide with several changes of phosphate buffered
saline.
3.
React the cells with anti-bovine conjugate.
4.
Wash the slide several times in phosphate buffered saline.
5.
Mount a cover glass on the cell spots with mounting medium.
6.
Observe the slide with a fluorescent microscope at about 400 (dry).
Note: the method works well with various respiratory tract specimens containing
mucus. Fluorescent antibody examination of the specimens is more sensitive than
enzyme immunoassay and is much simpler. It is applicable to various viruses simply
by changing the antibody used. Direct fluorescent antibody is also possible with
specimens prepared in this manner.
References
McDonald JC, Quennec P, 1993; Unnonen P, Julkunen I, 1987.
7.8.7 Detection of protozoa in sputum specimens (Pneumocystis
carinii)
Purpose
Detection and identification of Pneumocystis carinii in immunocompromised
patients with pneumonia.
Approach
Sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluids are examined by direct fluorescent
antibody using monoclonal antibody conjugate.
116
Materials
Coated slide with wells, 1014 mm diameter circles.
Nebulizer.
Vortexer (mixer).
Water bath, 37 C.
Reagents
Dithiothreitol, 0.0065 mol/L.
Monoclonal fluorescent antibody conjugate, antiPneumocystis carinii.
Saline, 3%.
H2O, distilled or deionized.
Evans blue counterstain.
Method
1.
Select a sputum specimen (not saliva; see below).
2.
Concentrate the sputum by mucolysis with dithiothreitol and centrifugation.
3.
Overlay 2 mL of sputum specimen with 2 mL of dithiothreitol in a 15 mL

conical screw cap centrifuge tube (plastic).
4.
Vortex the specimen.
5.
Incubate the vortexed specimen at 37 C, 4 minutes, in a water bath with

agitation.
6.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 several times until the specimen is partially, but not
completely, liquefied.
7.
Prepare slide smears with 50 L of concentrated sputum specimen.
8.
Air-dry the slides.
9.
Fix the smear slides in acetone, 10 minutes.
117
10. Stain the slides with antiP. carinii conjugate, 30 minutes at 37 C in a humid
chamber. (Evans blue counterstain may be mixed with the conjugate.)
11. Drain the slides, and rinse in deionized or distilled water.
12. Mount a coverglass on each slide with buffered mounting fluid. (A fluorescence
anti-quencher may be included in the mounting fluid.)
13. Examine the slide with an epi-fluorescence microscope, FITC filters. Use about
250 magnification.
14. Confirm suspect positives at 500.
Sputum collection
It is important to get sputum from deep in the lungs, not saliva from the mouth.
For this reason, sputum collection should always be directly observed by a nurse,
medical attendant or laboratory technician in order to assure a quality specimen. It is
important to avoid getting extraneous material from the oral cavity in the specimen.
For this reason, patent preparation should be instituted before collecting sputum by
any method, as follows.
The patient should:
eat no solid food for eight hours before providing sputum
just before collection, brush the teeth, gingival areas, tongue and inside of the
mouth (buccal surfaces) with water or saline
rinse the mouth thoroughly with water.
gargle at least twice, expelling the water each time.
This procedure removes general debris, bacteria clumps and loose epithelial
cells. Thus, these cannot obscure a clear microscopic view of the test field on the
slide prepared from the sputum.
Three methods may be used to obtain sputum for fluorescence microscopy
testing. These are:
Method A: WHO method
Method B: nebulized 3% saline, inhaled
118
Method C: bronchoalveolar lavage.

Method A is the simplest way to collect a sputum specimen, and it may
be satisfactory for use where equipment for the other methods is not readily
available.
1.
Collect sputum specimens early in the morning.
2.
Give the patient a clean (not necessarily sterile), dry, wide-necked, leakproof
container.
3.
Use reusable jars or stiff paper boxes made in the laboratory for on-the-spot
collection.
4.
Ask the patient to take a deep breath and then cough deeply, spitting what he
or she brings up into the container.
Note: liquid frothy saliva and secretions from the nose and pharynx are not suitable for
examination. Ask the patient to produce another specimen.
5.
Check that a sufficient amount of sputum has been produced.
6.
Screw on the top and label the bottle with the name and number of the
patient.
7.
Examine the sputum with the naked eye and then by microscopy.
The sputum of a person suffering from a bacterial infection usually contains:
thick mucus with air bubbles
threads of fibrin
patches of pus
occasional brownish streaks of blood.

After visual inspection, report the appearance of the sputum as:
purulent: greenish, containing pus
mucopurulent: greenish, containing both pus and mucus
mucoid: containing mostly mucus
mucosalivary: containing mucus with a small amount of saliva
reddish from blood present.
119
Method B is induction of sputum by inhaling a nebulized spray (fine mist) of

3% saline. Commercial nebulizers deliver 37 mL of saline solution per minute.
Between 5 and 10 minutes of inhalation is needed to induce sputum production of
about 25 mL. The sputum is collected in a sterile container, a wide-mouth screw
cap jar or cup.
Method C is bronchoalveolar lavage. This is an effective but more complex
procedure. Only an experienced physician in an institution properly equipped for
this procedure should do it. A small-diameter fibre optic bronchoscope is needed
to do the procedure following examination of the tracheobronchial tree by X-ray.
Between 15 mL and 70 mL of saline is instilled to collect the specimen. Chest Xray and arterial blood gas measurements should be made to evaluate the patient
periodically after the procedure.
Results
Cysts and trophozoites appear apple green, singly and in clusters.
References
Gill VJ et al., 1987; Kovacs JA et al., 1988; Ng VL et al., 1990 (IFA); Ng VL et
al., 1990 (DFA).
7.8.8 Detection of protozoa in faecal specimens (Cryptosporidium
parvum /Giardia lamblia)
Purpose
Detection of Cryptosporidium or Giardia lamblia infection in immuno-compromised
patients with diarrhoea.
Approach
Faecal specimens are examined by fluorescent antibody after washing and
centrifuging them.
Materials
120

Centrifuge, 500g capability.
Centrifuge tube, screwcap.
Slide adhesive, glycerolagar
Note: preparation and use of slide adhesive
Adhesive formula
Refined agar, 0.1 g
Glycerol, 5 mL
H2O, distilled, 100 mL
Boil this mixture. Dispense it in small amounts in screw-cap tubes. Autoclave the tubes. Store the tightly
sealed tubes at room temperature.
Adhesive use
1.Place one drop of slide adhesive on a corner of the slide.
2.Place a square of filter paper over the drop.
3.Smear the adhesive over the slide with the filter paper square.
4.Air-dry the slide at room temperature (about 30 minutes) or for 5 minutes at 37 C.
Slide, Teflon-masked with three 7 mm circles or a standard slide with diamond

etched circles.
Pasteur pipette (optional).
Filter paper, square, 25 25 mm, Whatman 40.
Reagents
Formalin, 10%.
Potassium hydroxide, 10%.
CryptosporidiumGiardia direct fluorescent antibody detection kit or
Cryptosporidium monoclonal fluorescent antibody conjugate/Giardia monoclonal
fluorescent antibody conjugate.
Eriochrome black.
Methanol, absolute.
Cryptosporidium positive control antigen.
Giardia positive control antigen.
121
Controls
Negative control (formalized normal faecal suspension).
Method
1.
Collect the faecal specimen in 10% formalin (mix it well to suspend the faeces.
Treat the faecal suspension with 10% formalin, 30 minutes minimum; it may
contain HIV.).
2.
Allow the faeces to settle by gravity.
3.
Pour off the supernatant fluid, or use a Pasteur pipette to decant it.
4.
Wash the sediment with 10% formalin.
5.
Centrifuge the suspension at 500g for 10 minutes.
6.
Decant the supernatant fluid.
7.
Place one drop of sediment (10 L) in a circle on a slide treated with glycerol
agar slide adhesive.
8.
Spread the drop thinly in the circle, and allow it to air-dry.
9.
Heat-fix the slide for 10 minutes on a slide warmer (very gentle flame fixation
may be used).
10. Fix the slide in absolute methanol, 5 minutes, room temperature.

11. Stain the slide with the direct fluorescent antibody reagent, 20 minutes, room
temperature.
12. Wash the slide with phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4.
13. Mount a cover glass on the slide with buffered glycerol, pH 8.5.
14. Examine each well on the slide by epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy
within 1 hour at 100.
15. Confirm cysts or oocysts at 250 or 400.
Results
Cysts and oocysts fluoresce apple green. Sensitivity and specificity for both
Cryptosporidium and Giardia should be 100%. Giardia cysts are oval, approximately
11 by 14 m, and Cryptosporidium oocysts are round, about 46 m in diameter.
122
Safety precautions
Faecal specimens from these patients may contain HIV. They should be handled
with caution, and rubber gloves should be worn. Specimens should be suspended
in 10% formalin for at least 30 minutes before testing.
Avoid skin contact with formalin. If contact occurs, wash the area thoroughly with
water.
References
Garcia LS et al., 1987; Garcia LS et al., 1992.
7.8.9 Quantitating protozoa in faecal specimens (Cryptosporidium
parvum/Giardia lamblia)
Purpose
Estimation of the parasite load in immunocompromised patients with protozoan
diarrhoea.
Approach
A standard amount of faecal material is partially purified, and the protozoan cells
in a measured volume are counted.
Materials
Centrifuge, 50 mL tube capacity, 1500g.
Centrifuge tube, screwcap, 50 mL.
Vortexer (optional).
Cheesecloth.
Funnel.
Pipette, 20 L.
123
Reagents
Methanol, absolute.
H2O, distilled.
Formalin, 10%.
Glycerolagar slide adhesive (see Section 7.8.8).
Method
1.
Take a 2 g faecal sample.
2.
Suspend this in 10 mL of 10% formalin. Allow the mixture to fix for at least
30 minutes.
3.
Filter the suspension through cheesecloth, 1 layer.
4.
Centrifuge the filtered suspension at 1500g, 10 minutes.
5.
Resuspend the pellet in 4 mL of distilled water.
6.
Vortex or mix this by hand, thoroughly.
7.
Pipette 20 L of this suspension on to a treated slide.
8.
Spread this as a faecal smear.
9.
Fix the smear in absolute methanol, 5 minutes at room temperature.
10. Stain the smear using a direct fluorescent antibody test kit for Cryptosporidium
and/or Giardia.
11. Search the entire smear by epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy at 100
magnification.
12. Count Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts.
13. Confirm suspect organisms found at 250 or 400.
14. Multiply the oocysts and cysts found on the entire smear by 100.
Note: if the total oocysts or cysts counted exceeds 40 000, dilute the faecal suspension 10 or 100
times, depending on the count, and repeat steps 713. Multiply the actual count by the dilution
factor
Results
The quantitative fluorescent antibody method was superior to both sucrose gradient
124
flotation and zinc sulfate flotation for detecting Giardia cysts. For detecting
Cryptosporidium oocysts, the quantitative fluorescent antibody method is much
faster and at least 100 times more sensitive than the haemocytometer method.
Note: the quantitative fluorescent antibody method provides a suitable and efficient
way to quantitate Giardia and Cryptosporidium infections in AIDS patients. Faecal
specimens from immunocompromised patients may contain HIV. Wear rubber
gloves when handling specimens and related materials.
Reference
Xiao L, Herd RP, 1993.
7.8.10 Special pathogens
Today, preparedness against intentionally used infective agents must be part of
the responsibility of public health systems. Medical and public health laboratories
are among the first responders to a misuse of highly contagious, pathogenic
microorganisms. While having the potential of being misused, these pathogens are
also well known in natural situations (Table 7.3). It is important to detect early and
identify rapidly these microorganisms to know whether the situation where they are
found is normal or intentionally caused. Specific, early diagnosis of a small cluster
of cases, or only a single case in an unnatural location, might be critical for choice
and timely institution of effective epidemic disease control measures and initiation
of protective measures
Other microorganisms also may be potentially misused, but most experts agree
that these are the ones of primary concern. Salmonellosis is not usually considered
a special pathogen disease, but it is included in the list because it was actually
used in recent times [Torok TJ et al., 1997].
Precautions against intentionally used microorganisms include rapid diagnosis
of victims and detecting the microorganisms in the environment. Fluorescence
microscopy with acridine orange and fluorescent antibody can play an important
role and add important information. Fluorescence microscopy and fluorescent
antibody can be used in various areas of protection. Fluorescence microscopy is a
simple and inexpensive way to test the environment for aerosols, water pollution
or surface contamination. In some situations, the technique is not as definitive for
125
precise microbial identification as a newer technology such as polymerase chain

reaction (PCR) or DNA sequencing, but it is much simpler and faster than these
methods and can quickly yield very useful preliminary information.
Table 7.4 outlines fluorescence microscopy diagnostic approaches for these
microorganisms. Differences in test methods relate to the specimen in question.
Some diseases take different forms depending on the route of infection; for
example, cutaneous and inhalation anthrax. The form of the disease can bear heavily
on the severity of the disease and outcome.
Anthrax bacilli can be detected easily with acridine orange, but some other
Bacillus spp. resemble Bacillus anthracis. Also, members of the genus Bacillus
share many antigens, so it is difficult to make a specific fluorescent antibody
conjugate for B. anthracis. Monoclonal antibodies improve the examination
but still may not be entirely specific. Nevertheless, a patient with inhalation or
gastrointestinal anthrax is likely to have bacilli in the blood or spinal fluid, so
finding large bacilli circulating in clinical specimens that normally are sterile yields
a strong presumptive diagnosis.
The situation is different with plague, salmonellosis and tularaemia.
Highly specific and sensitive fluorescent antibody conjugates are available
commercially that can rapidly detect and identify these bacteria. In most instances,
fluorescent antibody provides rapid, specific diagnosis of these infections.
Furthermore, fluorescent antibody detects and specifically identifies these bacteria
in environmental samples.
Table 7.3 Diseases of potential primary concern for intentional misuse

Disease
Agent type
Anthrax
Bacteria
Botulism
Bacterial toxin
Haemorrhagic fever
Virus
Used previously
Plague
Bacteria
Salmonellosis
Bacteria
Smallpox
Virus
Tularaemia
Bacteria
Faeces
Gastric contents
Serum
Blood
Bubo aspirate
Sputum (pulmonary)
Agar culture from specimens
Serum
Lesion scrapings
Vesicular fluid
Serum
Sputum (pulmonary)
Ulcer exudate
Slide impressions (liver, spleen, kidney)
Tissue culture
Serum
Blood broth culture
Faeces broth culture
Urine broth culture
Botulism
(Clostridium botulinum)
Plague
(Yersinia pestis)
Smallpox (variola virus)
Tularaemia
(Francisella tularensis)
Viral haemorrhagic fevers

(Marburg, Ebola, Lassa,
Jenin)
Salmonellosis6
(Salmonella spp.)
FA
FA
FA
FA
FA
FA
IFA
FA
FA
FA
FA
FA
IFA
FA
FA
FA
FA
IFA
N/A
N/A
N/A
AO1
AO
AO
FA2
FA, AO
FA, AO
FA
IFA3
Selective culture
Selective culture
Selective culture
Microcolony
Direct exam
Tissue culture
Antibody titre
Direct exam
Direct exam
Microcolony
Direct exam
Direct exam
Antibody titre
Direct exam
Direct exam
Direct exam
Microcolony
Antibody titre
N/A
N/A
N/A
Direct exam
Direct exam
Direct exam
Direct exam
Direct exam
Direct exam
Microcolony4
Antibody titre5
Test
time
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific
False positives, other pox viruses

False positives, other pox viruses
Cross-reactions, other pox viruses
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific
Specific?
N/A
N/A
N/A
1218 hours
1218 hours
1218 hours
1218 hours
1 hour
17 days
214 days
1 hour
1 hour
1218 hours
1 hour
1 hour
2 hours
1 hour
1 hour
1 hour
1218 hours
2 hours
N/A
N/A
N/A
Non-specific, definitive form

1 hour
Non-specific, definitive form
1 hour
Non-specific, presumptive form
1 hour
Cross-reactions, definitive form
1 hour
Cross-reactions, presumptive form
1 hour
1 hour
1218 hours
Cross-reactions
2 hours
Test
specificity
1. Acridine orange fluorochrome dye 2. Fluorescent antibody test for antigen (Ag), direct or indirect 3. Indirect fluorescent antibody test for antibody (Ab) 4. Slide
impression of early bacterial colony from agar culture plate 5. Antibody titration by indirect fluorescent antibody test.
N/A = not applicable .
Blood (intestinal, pulmonary)

Cerebrospinal fluid (pulmonary)
Faeces (intestinal)
Haemorrhagic fluid
Nasal swab
Vesicular exudate (cutaneous)
Serum
Anthrax
(Bacillus anthracis)
Fluorescence Technical
method
approach
Test specimen
(disease form)
Disease
(etiological agent)
Table 7.4 Fluorescence microscopy for rapid diagnosis of intentionally used infective agents
126
127
Viral diseases like smallpox and haemorrhagic fevers pose different diagnostic
problems, but fluorescence microscopy is helpful for rapid diagnosis and, in some
cases, it is quite specific. Among the poxviruses, there are serological crossreactions. Thus, when poxvirus infection is suspected, fluorescent antibody tests
must be interpreted carefully in combination with other diagnostic criteria.
If viral haemorrhagic fever is suspected in a patient, either direct and indirect
fluorescent antibody can provide a specific diagnosis. Direct fluorescent antibody is
done on tissue impressions from organs collected at autopsy to detect and identify
viral antigens. Direct fluorescent antibody also detects and identifies viral antigens
in tissue cultures. This is done on spot slides made from tissue culture cells.
Indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) is used to titre antibodies to viral
haemorrhagic fevers, and this is a way to rapidly diagnose patients. In some
diseases, IFA detects antibodies earlier than other serological tests, and therefore
it has been the preferred serological method. IFA is done on spot slides of known
virus infected tissue cultures. Antibodies become detectable in Lassa fever within a
few days after onset and with Marburg and Ebola viruses within 10 days. For other
viral infections it can be used later when antibody titres appear.
Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies are commercially available for
B. anthracis, F. tularensis, Salmonella spp., and Y. pestis. Fluorescent antibody
conjugates can be made with these, or they can be used in indirect fluorescent
antibody tests. Commercial antisera are also available for vaccinia virus, and this
may be useful in diagnosing smallpox, since poxvirus antisera cross-react because
of close relationships within this group. Antisera to viral haemorrhagic fevers are
not commercially available, but they have been prepared and used at infectious
disease research institutes such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and USAMRIID in the USA, as well as the Centre for Applied Microbiology and
Research in England.
DANGER! Acute phase blood and sera from haemorrhagic fever patients
contain highly infectious virus. These specimens must be processed only in
laboratories specially equipped for maximum biological containment.
Safety must be the paramount concern when doing any laboratory work with
these viruses. Any specimens suspected to contain haemorrhagic fever viruses
must be considered highly infectious and dangerous. Specimens and tissue cultures
128
from these diseases must be handled only in maximum biocontainment facilities,

Biosafety Level 4 laboratories.
Laboratories without these biosafety facilities and biological containment
equipment such as closed negative pressure safety cabinets should not attempt
fluorescent antibody diagnostic tests for these viruses. Acetone fixation of spot
slides made from tissue cultures does not completely inactivate these viruses.
Therefore, such slides must be considered infectious and hazardous. Viruses in
tissue cultures can be biologically inactivated by gamma irradiationthe preferred
method. However, this method is not generally available. Another successful
inactivation method is treatment with -propiolactone (Van der Groen and Elliot,
1982). Once spot slides from tissue cultures of these viruses are properly and
completely inactivated, fluorescent antibody can be used to detect and identify virus
antigen using completely inactivated virus material in normal laboratories. For more
detailed information about how to handle viral haemorrhagic fever specimens, refer
to Murray PM et al (2003), chapter 90: filoviruses and arenaviruses.
7.9 Indirect immunofluorescence tests (IFA)

7.9.1 Detection of humoral antibodies
7.9.1.1 Introduction and general method
Antibodies are immunoglobulins that can be classified in various ways based
on:
pathogenicity
organ, tissue and cell specificity
disease specificity
cell components that are likely to be target antigens
clinical significance.
The diagnostic value of humoral antibodies as indicators has been confirmed

for various communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Antibodies are of
particular interest to clinicians for the diagnosis of an infection by a microorganism
even when the infectious agent is no longer detectable. In individual cases there is
129
little evidence of the function of a detected antibody, i.e. whether it is pathogenic,

protective or of no significance to the patient. In such cases a clinical conclusion
can be made only by an analysis of all retrievable details, including the age of the
patient and the clinical, biochemical, morphological and immunological findings.
The following aspects should be assessed when detecting antibodies:
type of antibody (precise differentiation of various types, immunoglobulin

class, possibly antibody subclass)
antibody titre
reactions with autogenous material or that already deposited in vivo
time course of detectablility of the antibodyconstantly or transiently detected,

possible dependence on the course of the disease or on therapy
complement binding
simultaneous occurrence of other antibodies, possibly in a stable

combination.
A typical method for detection of antibodies against an antigen of an infectious

microorganism is the fluorescent Treponema pallidum antibody absorption test
(FTA-ABS). The procedure is described in the following section.
7.9.1.2 Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS test)
Purpose
Specific detection and identification antibody to Treponema pallidum to confirm a
diagnosis of syphilis.
Approach
Indirect fluorescent antibody is used to detect specific antiT. pallidum antibody
in human serum that has been absorbed to remove cross-reacting non-specific
antibodies (Figure 7.7).
Materials
130
56 C water bath.
Reagents
FTA supplies.
FTA antigen (standardized killed suspension of T. pallidum, Nichols strain).
Reactive serum.
Sorbent antigen (extract of nonpathogenic Reiter treponeme).
Tween 80, 2% (2 mL Tween 80 in 98 mL phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4).
FITC-conjugated anti-human globulin (rabbit origin).
Rhodamine-labelled antiT. pallidum antibody.
Cover glass mounting medium, pH 8.59.0.
Test specimen preparation
1.
Scribe two circles, 10 mm diameter, on each clean microscope slide.

Commercial pre-etched circle slides also may be used.
2.
Smear one loopful (2 mm loop) of FTA antigen in each circle.
3.
Allow the slide to dry completely for 15 minutes or more at room

temperature.
4.
Fix the slide smears in acetone, 10 minutes.
Note: slides may be made in advance, fixed in acetone, and stored frozen at
20 C. Two slides are required as controls for each test run (group of test slides).
One slide is required for each patient serum.
Serum preparation
1.
Heat the patient and control sera at 56 C for 30 minutes on the testing day.
Previously heated sera should be heated at 56 C for 10 minutes only.
Controls
4+ control serum diluted 1:5 in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4.
131
Figure 7.7 Fluorescent antibody fluorescence of Treponema pallidum

(Nichols strain) with adsorbed antibodies
1+ control serum diluted and previously tested to give this reaction.

Non-specific serum control.
Sorbent control serum diluted 1:5 in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4.
Sorbent control serum diluted 1:5 in sorbent.
Non-specific antigen controls.
Antigen smear reacted with phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4.
Antigen smear reacted with sorbent.
Method
1.
Use freshly prepared slides or fixed slides from the freezer. The latter must be
thawed and completely dry.
2.
Prepare 1:5 dilutions of the test and 4+ control sera in sorbent. Dilute the 1+
control serum appropriately.
132
3.
Cover each antigen smear in a circle with the appropriate serum dilution.
4.
Incubate the slides in a moist chamber at 3537 C for 30 minutes.
5.
Rinse the slides in running phosphate buffered saline for 5 seconds, and then
soak them in phosphate buffered saline for 5 minutes. Agitate them occasionally
in the phosphate buffered saline.
6.
Change the slides to a new bath of phosphate buffered saline, and agitate them
for 5 minutes.
7.
Rinse the slides with H2O (distilled) for 5 seconds, and blot them dry with
bibulous paper.
8.
Dilute the anti-human globulin FITC conjugate to its working dilution in 2%

buffered Tween 80.
9.
Cover each circled smear with conjugate.
10. Repeat steps 4, 5, 6 and 7.

11. Mount coverglasses on the smears with mounting fluid.
12. Examine the slides with the fluorescence microscope as soon as possible,
certainly within 4 hours.
13. Record the degree of fluorescence using the 1+ control slide as a reference.
14. Report as follows:
2+ to 4+
Reactive
1+
Reactive (?)
Less than 1+
Borderline
Negative
Non-reactive
15. Retest any serum giving 1+ or less fluorescence.

References
Larsen SA, Hunter EF, Kraus SJ, 1990; Larsen SA, Steiner BM, 1995.
133
7.9.2 Autoantibodies and autoimmune disease

Autoantibodies are indicators of an autoimmune reaction. They may also be the
cause of an autoimmune disease. Autoantibodies, for example against mitochondria
in primary biliary cirrhosis, may be present before a diagnosis can be made by other
means. Therefore, the presence of autoantibodies should also be considered when
investigating the preclinical stage of a disease in a patient. During the early stage
of a disease a test may be negative because the antibodies are not circulating in a
patients plasma but are stored in the primed organ.
Problems associated with the diagnostic value of autoantibodies include the
following:
different classifications published for similar or identical disease scenarios
insufficient standardization, which especially concerns new methods, such

as the immunoblotting procedure
difficulties in nomenclature, for example, for ribosomes and mitochondria that

also contain DNA
difference in the affinity and specificity of the antibodies.
method dependent factors for example with immunofluorescence using an

antigen substrate (species, sex, tissue treatment, etc.).
7.9.2.1 Basic test procedures and materials preparation for autoimmune and
autoantibody testing
In the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test, serum of a patient with
suspected disease is incubated with tissue that contains a diagnostic marker antigen.
Antibodies present in the patients serum bind to corresponding antigenic structures
on the tissue substrate. The reacted antibodies are detected with a fluorochromelabelled anti-human globulin, normally IgG, although for certain antibodies (e.g.
anticonnective tissue antibodies) an anti-human IgA conjugate must also be used.
The reaction is easily visible under the fluorescence microscope. The following
chapter describes examples of indirect immunofluorescence microscopy used for
detecting circulating autoantibodies that can be found in human serum of patients
with certain diseases.
134
Basic materials
Fluorescence microscope.
Cryotome.
Dissection kit.
Glue for cryotome sections.
Tweezers.
Cotton.
Stain rack.
Vortex mixer.
Rotating shaker.
Balance.
Absorbent paper.
Tray, washing.
Beaker, 100 mL.
Moist chamber.
Tube rack.
Tubes for dilution of serum specimens.
Graduated cylinders (5 mL, 100 mL, 1000 mL).
Micropipettes (550 L, 50200 L, 2001000 L).
Waste container.
Microscope slides.
Reagents
Ethanol, 90%.
135
Ether.
Distilled water.
Physiological saline.
Evans blue solution.
Control sera.
Glycerol mounting medium, pH 7.6.
Method
1.
Place the slides with the tissue sections or cultured cell substrates in a moist
chamber.
2.
Place patient serum on the substrate.
3.
Incubate the slides for 30 minutes at room temperature.
4.
Remove the serum and rinse the slides quickly with a gentle stream of
5.
Wash three times, each time with fresh phosphate buffered saline for 10
minutes in a coplin jar.
6.
Add one drop of anti-human IgG (or IgA) fluorescent conjugate.
7.
Wash the slides three times, each time with fresh phosphate buffered saline, 10
minutes each wash.
8.
Add Evans blue counterstain (56 drops of Evans blue in 150 mL of phosphate
buffered saline).
9.
Blot the slide with absorbent paper.
10. Put glycerol mounting medium on each slide and cover it with a cover glass.
11. Examine the slide under the fluorescence microscope.
12. Examine the controls first to be sure that the method and the antibodies
work properly. Use a low magnification first to see that all parts of the tissue
specimen are present on the slide.
136
Controls
Positive control sera (e.g. 4+ and 1+ positive sera from an experimentally
determined dilution).
Negative control (normal serum to detect non-specific serum reactions).
Conjugate control (incubation only with the conjugate to detect an unwanted
fluorescence of the conjugate).
Buffer control (incubation only with phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4, to detect
other non-specific fluorescence).
Semi-quantitative determination of autoantibodies
1.
Dilute the patients serum with phosphate buffered saline from 1:20 to 1:2560,
or more if necessary.
2.
Incubate each serum dilution with tissue substrate as described above.
Preparation of organ tissue substrates: tissue substrate

Method
1.
Anaesthetize a male Wistar rat, 150 g (starved for 18 hours) with ether and
decapitate the animal to bleed it.
2.
Remove the organs of interest (e.g. kidneys, liver and stomach). Clean the
stomach of its contents.
3.
Wash the organs several times with physiological saline.
4.
Cut the liver into small cubes about 2 mm on a side.
5.
Cut the stomach into longitudinal strips.
6.
Cut the kidneys longitudinally. Be sure that you have both the cortex and
medulla.
7.
Roll each piece of kidney with a piece of liver in a strip of stomach.
8.
Add a sufficient amount of embedding medium* to connect the organ

slices to prepare an air-tight, densely packed composite (triple substrate)
that can be easily cut by the cryotome.
* Optimum controlled temperature compound.
9.
137
Wrap each triple substrate in aluminium foil.
10. For storage, freeze the tissue immediately in liquid nitrogen; or use
isopentane cooled by a dry ice/acetone bath.
11. Store the triple substrate at 70 C or in liquid nitrogen.
Cutting triple organ sections for test substrates
1.
Degrease and wash slides with 90% ethanol.
2.
Degrease the cryotome knife and blade.
3.
Adjust the cryotome temperature to about 20 C.
4.
Fix the tissue preparation with glue on the object carrier of the crymicrotome.
5.
Adjust the cutter of the cryotome to get a transverse section of 45 mm

thickness.
6.
Collect the sections carefully from the knife blade, and place them on a
microscope slide.
7.
Dry the slides in the air, use them immediately for immunofluorescence
microscopic examination, or wrap them in aluminium foil and store
them frozen at 70 C for up to one month in an air-tight container with
desiccant.
Preparation of organ tissue substrates: granulocyte substrate

Materials
Pasteur pipettes (very narrow tip) (if necessary, pull the tip fresh through a
flame thereby softening the glass to make the hole of the tip smaller).
Rubber pipette bulb.
Syringe, 10 mL.
Flask, Erlenmeyer, 2550 mL.
Glass beads, 10.
Test tubes, polystyrene, 10 mL.
138
Pipette, 5 mL.
Safety pipette.
Centrifuge.
Slides.
Refrigerator.
Freezer, 20 C.
Reagents
Dextranmetrizoate solution (for preparation see Annex 13).
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 (for preparation see Annex 13).
Phosphate buffered salinealbumin, 1% (for preparation see annex 13).
Ethanol, absolute.
Phosphate buffered salineglycerol mounting medium (for preparation see
Annex 13).
Anti-fading agent (p-phenylenediamine, 1 mg/mL, or DABCO, 25 mg/mL).
Heparin.
Formalin, 10%.
Method
1.
Collect 10 mL of blood from a healthy donor.
2.
Place the blood specimen in a small flask with 10 glass beads, and shake
it well (no anticoagulant is used).
3.
Put the defibrinated blood in a 10 mL polystyrene test tube.
4.
Add 250 IU of heparin.
5.
Distribute 5 mL of dextranmetrizoate solution into each of 5 polystyrene

test tubes, and add 2 mL of defibrinated blood to each test tube.
6.
Mix each tube, and allow them to stand at room temperature, 45

minutes.
7.
Pipette the cloudy plasma containing the leukocytes from each test tube
into another 10 mL polystyrene test tube (avoid taking up red cells).
139
8.
Centrifuge the test tube at about 200g, 10 minutes.
9.
Decant the clear plasma, and resuspend the leukocyte pellet in 10 mL

phosphate buffered saline-albumin.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9.

11. Decant the supernatant fluid until only about 150200 L remains above
the pellet.
12. Resuspend the leukocytes in the remaining fluid.
13. Place droplets of the suspension on a clean slide, each droplet about 1 mm
diameter. (Use a Pasteur pipette with a fine tip.)
14. Make smears from the droplets within 10 seconds.
15. Air-dry the slides.
16. Fix a slide in absolute ethanol at 4 C, 5 minutes.
17. Fix a slide in 10% formalin, 5 minutes.
7.9.2.2 Anti-nuclear antibodies on human larynx epithelioma cells (HEp-2
cells)
Disease relationship
Anti-nuclear antibodies are a heterogenous group of antibodies against
different components of cell nuclei. They are detectable in serum of healthy people
at low concentrations, and in patients with autoimmune in higher concentrations.;
in particular they occur in patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus,
rheumatoid arthritis, Sjgren syndrome, scleroderma, dermatopolymyositis,
Raynaud syndrome, and autoimmune hepatitis type 1. The titre of ANAs and the
distinctive fluorescent pattern are to some extent related to the disease.
The most common method today to detect ANAs is indirect immunofluorescence
microscopy on HEp-2 cells. However it can also be done on rat triple organ
substrate, and this was the routine procedure in the past.
140
Control sera for ANA

ANA negative.
ANA positive homogenous.
ANA positive speckled or granular.
ANA positive nucleolar.
ANA positive centromere (kinetochore).
Method
1.
Use the general immunofluorescent staining method on slides with HEp-2 cells
as an antigenic substrate.
Fluorescence patterns
Different fluorescence patterns can be seen (Figures 7.8 and 7.9). A nucleolar and/or
speckled (granular) pattern is predominantly found in patients with scleroderma and
Sjgren syndrome A homogenous pattern is predominantly observed in patients with
active lupus erythematosus. The centromere (kinetochore) pattern is predominantly
seen in patients with Raynaud syndrome and primary biliary cirrhosis.
7.9.2.3 Anti-DNA antibodies using Crithidia luciliae as antigenic substrate
The anti-DNA antibodies are detected by indirect immunofluorescence
microscopy on Crithidia luciliae as antigenic substrates. Crithidia luciliae is
a trypanosome haemoflagellate that contains DNA in a large mitochondrion,
the kinetoplast (Figure 7.10). Anti-DNA antibodies are predominantly found in
systemic lupus erythematosus.
Control sera for DNA-antibodies
DNA-negative.
DNA-positive.
Figure 7.8 Speckled fluorescence pattern of HEp-2 cells
Figure 7.9 Homogenous fluorescence pattern of HEp-2 cells
141
142
Figure 7.10 Kinetoplasts of Crithidia luciliae stained with fluorescent antiDNA antibodies
Method
1.
Apply the general method using slides of Crithidia luciliae as an antigenic

substrate.
Fluorescence pattern
The typical pattern is a homogenous staining of the kinetoplast.
7.9.2.4 Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA)
At least 10 classes of AMA have been identified, and they are classified from
1 to 10. Of these antibodies type 2 (AMA-2) is clinically important. A high AMA2 titre is indicative for primary biliary cirrhosis and non-suppurative destructive
cholangitis, a precursor stage of primary biliary cirrhosis.
143
Control sera for AMA

AMA negative.
AMA-2 positive.
AER/LKM-1 positive.
Method
1.
Apply the general method using slides with prepared triple substrate.
Typical patterns of AMA-2:
strong cytoplasmic staining of renal distal tubules (+++).
granular cytoplasmic staining of hepatocytes (++).
weak staining of the first and second part of renal proximal tubules (++).
weak staining of renal glomerula and the third portion of proximal tubules
(+).
brilliant staining of parietal cells of the stomach (+++). The main cells of the
stomach are weakly stained (+ to ++).
7.9.2.5 Anti-endoplasmatic reticulum antibodies (AER) and liver/kidney

microsome antibodies (LKM-1)
AER-or LKM-1 antibodies react with membranes of the rough and smooth
endoplasmic reticulum. Strong reactions occur on liver and kidney cells (Figure
7.11). The predominant antigen is cytochrome P 450. More than six different
antibodies have been described. At present only type 1 of these antibodies is
diagnostically important. AER or LKM-1 are strongly indicative of type 2
autoimmune hepatitis (see also ANA for autoimmune hepatitis).
Control sera for AER (LKM-1)
AER/LKM-1 negative.
144
Figure 7.11 Anti-microsomal antibody (LKM) immunofluorescence in rat

kidney (left; weak staining) and liver (right; strong staining)
AER/LKM-1 positive.
AMA-2 positive.
Method
1.
Use the general method as described using slides with triple substrate.
Typical patterns:
homogenous brilliant cytoplasmic staining of hepatocytes (+++).
weaker homogenous cytoplasmic staining of the third portion of proximal

tubules of the kidney (++).
7.9.2.6 Anti-smooth-muscle antibodies (ASMA)

ASMA reacts with proteins of the cytoskeleton (Figures 7.12 and 7.13). More
than 200 antibodies are known, but only high-titre antibodies reacting with actin
are used for the differential diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis type 1. High titres of
SMA-T and SMA-G are characteristic of autoimmune hepatitis type 1 (very often
in combination with ANA).
Control sera for ASMA

ASMA negative.
ASMA positive.
Three different patterns can be distinguished on kidney sections:
SMA-V: fluorescence of vessel walls only.
SMA-G: fluorescence of vessel walls and renal glomeruli.
Figure 7.12 ASMA (actin) type immunofluorescence on stomach (left) and

liver (right) tissue. Magnification 250
Figure 7.13 ASMA (actin) type immunofluorescence on kidney artery,

glomerulus and tubuli. Magnification 500
145
146
SM-T: fluorescence of vessel walls, renal glomeruli and the brush border and
peritubular fibrils.
7.9.2.7 Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmatic antibodies (ANCA)

ANCA binds to cytoplasmic constituents of human polynuclear leukocytes
(neutrophils, basophils and eosinophils) and monocular blood cells except
lymphocytes (Figures 7.14 and 7.15). Two fluorescence patterns are related to
disease:
c-ANCA (cytoplasmic or classical ANCA) for Wegener disease.
p-ANCA (perinuclear ANCA) for renal vasculitis.

All other fluorescence patterns are summarized as atypical (a-ANCA).
The main antigens for c-ANCA are proteinase 3, and for p-ANCA
myeloperoxidase of neutrophils.
Control sera for ANCA
ANCA negative.
c-ANCA positive.
p-ANCA positive.
a-ANCA positive.
Method
1.
Do the general method using slides of granulocytes fixed with ethanol as the
substrate. Repeat the general method with slides fixed in 10% formaldehyde
to compare the fluorescence patterns.
At least three patterns are seen:
c-ANCA: fine granular diffuse cytoplasmatic staining very often brighter

centrally.
147
Figure 7.14 c-ANCA fluorescence pattern of human neutrophils
Figure 7.15 p-ANCA fluorescence pattern of human neutrophils
p-ANCA: perinuclear accentuated cytoplasmatic staining without staining of

the nucleus and the cell periphery.
a-ANCA: atypical fluorescence: all other fluorescence patterns.
Note: nuclear patterns may also be seen.
148
7.9.2.8 Anti-endomysium (connective tissue type 3) antibodies (ACTA-3)

Anti-endomysium (connective tissue type 3) antibodies are directed against
tissue transglutaminase. The antibodies may be IgA and IgG. The antibodies,
particularly IgA, are found in coeliac disease (gluten intolerance). The disease
occurs in an acute form (particularly in children) and in a silent form (mainly
in adults). The antibodies were also named anti-reticulin antibodies in the early
literature. The antibodies are also used to monitor therapy.
Control sera for ACTA-3
IgG ACTA-3 negative.
IgA ACTA-3 negative.
IgG ACTA-3 positive.
IgA ACTA-3 positive.
Method
1.
Apply the general IFA method using slides of monkey oesophagus (lower part);
alternatively, slides with rat triple substrate are also suitable.
Note: it is important to investigate the tissue under the microscope after exposure
both to anti-human IgA and IgG conjugates.
Typical patterns:
Monkey oesophagus at 250 magnification: honeycomb pattern (endomysial

pattern) of the muscularis mucosae (Figure 7.16).
Rat triple substrate: at 1000 magnification: honeycomb pattern on the

stomach muscularis:
fluorescence of all vessel endothelia of liver, kidney and stomach
fluorescence of the Bowman capsule of the kidney
fluorescence of the perivascular and renal peritubular tissue.
Figure 7.16 ACTA fluorescence pattern on monkey oesophagus,

magnification 250
149
8. Fluorescence microscopy for

environmental monitoring
8.1 Examination for microorganisms in the environment

Microorganisms in the environment are traditionally counted by culturing. Two
methods commonly used are counting colonies on agar plates and the statistical most
probable number (MPN) method, done by dilutions of sample in culture broth. These
methods have several limitations:
many microorganisms in the environment are stressed and are viable but not
culturable
for certain microorganisms no suitable culture medium is available.
An alternative to culture methods for detecting microorganisms in the

environment is fluorescence microscopy. It does not suffer from the above
limitations.
Epi-fluorescence microscopy is an excellent way to detect and identify
contaminating particles, including bacteria and mould spores, in the environment. It
is simple, rapid and inexpensive. It is direct, giving a result of total organisms.
Depending on the fluorochrome or fluorescent antibody conjugate used,
fluorescence microscopy can be used to do general detection as well as very
specific identification of organisms collected.
A major advantage of using fluorescence microscopy to detect microorganisms
in the environment is that results are quickly obtained. Culture methods need 2448
hours to yield results. Fluorescence microscopy provides more accurate microbial
counts in less than two hours; in some tests only 30 minutes.
152
No standard widely accepted methods exist for doing these tests. Approaches
vary depending on the microorganism, where it is located, and the fluorochrome
used. Experimentation is essential in order to choose the right stain and specimen
processing methods to get useful results. Assistance with developing protocols can
be found in the references provided.
Primarily, epi-fluorescence microscopy is used to detect microorganisms such
as bacteria and fungal spores in water, soil or air samples. In water samples, epifluorescence microscopy also detects and identifies protozoan parasites.
Furthermore, fluorescence microscopy can detect inanimate particles such as
various chemical dusts.
Three factors are involved in direct counting of microorganisms in environment
samples:
particle-free reagents
method for cell concentration
epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
In short, the method calls for collecting a sample, stabilizing the microorganism
population, presenting the particles on a flat surface, staining the microorganisms
and examining that surface for trapped fluorescing particles by epi-fluorescence
microscopy. The surface used is a membrane filter, usually made of polycarbonate.
Earlier, cellulose acetate filters were used but were not satisfactory because many
microorganisms entered the filter and could not be seen. Membrane filters made of
polycarbonate are preferred by most investigators because they have a very smooth
surface, are strong and resist many chemicals. This allows a range of fixation,
staining and processing methods. Also, they come in black or white for different
applications. Black filters are preferred for epi-fluorescence microscopy because
they have low or no background fluorescence.
A newer type filter coming into use is the Anopore (0.2 m pores), an inorganic
filter made of aluminium oxide. It has a very flat surface and a high flow rate. It
does not fluoresce. This filter is reported to yield 21% to 33% higher cell counts
than polycarbonate filters, and a lower vacuum can be used [Jones, 1989].
153
Particle-free reagents are unique to this kind of testing. It is not enough to have
sterile reagents in which all microorganisms are dead because fluorescence
microscopy methods detect both living and dead microorganisms. Also, nonmicrobial particles and other debris in a sample can be stained. Thus, particle-free
stains, buffers and wash water are needed. This can be done easily by passing liquid
reagents and stains through membrane filters, pore size 0.20.22 m. Filtered
reagents should be stored in sterile screwcap bottles that have been rinsed with
sterile, filtered water. Store reagents at 4 C.
Another important factor is concentration of microbial particles in a sample.
This is measured by membrane filtration. By passing the sample through a
membrane filter, particles are trapped on the filters surface. A few microorganisms
in large sample volumes can be found in this way.
To examine water, or other liquids, the sample is filtered through a membrane
held in a holder. A vacuum draws the liquid through the membrane filter. Following
filtration of the sample, the filter and its holder are usually rinsed with sterile filtered
water or buffer, and this also is drawn through the filter. The filter may be stained in
place on the holder, or it may be removed for staining with fluorochrome. Sometimes
the test sample is stained with fluorochrome before filtration.
Air and other gases also can be sampled by a direct sampling method, much
the same as liquids, by drawing the sample through the filter in a holder. The filter
then is removed from its holder. Particles trapped on the surface of the filter are
stained with fluorochrome and examined by epi-illumination fluorescence
microscopy.
In another air sampling method, particles in the air sample are first captured in
a liquid. Usually, a device called a liquid impinger is used. For certain applications,
this is the preferred method because other tests on contents collected in the liquid
sampling medium may be needed. After the sampling is completed, the liquid
containing the trapped particles is drawn through a membrane filter and treated in
the same way as a water sample for epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy.
Soil or sediment samples are dispersed in a suspending liquid by a variety of
mechanical methods. The large particles are allowed to settle. Then, the supernatant
fluid is decanted, stabilized with formalin or other fixative, and then filtered, stained
and examined much as in a water test.
154
Fluorescent stains used in environment monitoring fall into three categories:
general fluorochromes
immunologically specific stains
physiological fluorochrome stains.
General fluorochromes act on structural parts of microorganisms. Most of these

stain nucleic acids. Many are reported in the literature, but by far the most
commonly used general fluorochrome is acridine orange. Methods using acridine
orange are in both Standard methods for the examination of water and
wastewater [Clesceri et al., 1989] and Standard methods for the examination of
dairy products [Wehr and Frank, 2004]. An appealing feature of acridine orange is
that it is excited by essentially the same wavelengths of light as FITC and auramine
O. It can be used with the same light filter sets and an inexpensive halogen-type
lamp. Most of the other general fluorochromes need UV excitation. Other features
are that acridine orange is inexpensive and a very efficient fluorochrome.
Acridine orange fluoresces green when reacted with double-stranded DNA,
and reddish orange when reacted with RNA and single-stranded DNA. Variations
in the staining pH or destaining procedures may also result in the green or red
staining of the microorganisms regardless whether they are live or dead. Therefore,
under strictly controlled conditions of examination acridine orange provides
potentially useful differentiation, although it is generally recommended in
environment studies only for total counts of microorganisms.
In recent years, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) is increasingly used to
stain microorganisms in environmental samples. DAPI is also a DNA stain. When
bound to DNA, it fluoresces blue or bluish white when excited by near-UV light at
365 nm. It fluoresces yellow when unbound or bound to non-DNA materials. Thus,
a UV excitation light source is needed to use DAPI, and a halogen lamp such as
can be used with acridine orange will not do. Both acridine orange and DAPI
staining allow differentiation of bacteria on the basis of shape and size. This is
important when analysing a sample for microorganisms because other things in the
sample may fluoresce as well.
Immunologically specific stains are fluorescent antibodies that allow the
investigator to determine the identity of a microorganism. Fluorescent antibody
155
testing in environmental studies is used to detect specific pathogens. The ones most
commonly studied include Salmonella spp., E. coli O157:H7, Legionella spp.,
giardia and cryptosporidium. These bacteria and protozoa are found in water and
air samples from various environmental niches.
Physiological fluorochrome stains are fluorochromes that stain microorganisms
differentially depending on whether they are alive or dead. The most common are:
propidium iodide
5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl chloride (CTC).
Propidium iodide does not enter living cells that have intact membranes.
Therefore, fluorescence of a living microorganism treated with propidium iodide is
not seen with a microscope. A general fluorochrome is used as a counterstain to
prove the presence of living cells.
Fluorescein diacetate enters the cell, where it is split by enzymes, and a
fluorescent compound, free fluorescein, is formed. However, certain bacteria
cannot bring the dye into their cells, so this chemical is not suitable for differentiating
living from dead for many microorganisms.
5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl chloride (CTC) is colourless in its oxidized form. When CTC
enters a living microorganism, the compound is reduced and converted to CTCformazan, which is deposited inside the cell wall as a fluorescent red inclusion.
Many issues are involved in fluorescent microscopy analysis of environmental
samples, especially for water and soil. All of these affect counts of microorganisms
in environmental samples. These factors must be carefully controlled if results are
to be meaningful and realistic conclusions are to be made. The major factors in epifluorescence environmental testing are:
fluorochrome choice
acridine orange
DAPI
propidium iodide
sample type
156
air
soil
sediment (different marine and freshwater locations)
water (fresh, marine, brackish, sewage)
preservation of specimens
formalin
gluteraldehyde
dispersion of microorganisms from specimen

blending
stomaching
surfactants
ultrasound
filter type
polycarbonate
aluminium oxide (Anopore)
counting methods
magnification
fields
grids
chambers
concentration of stain
sample dependant
time of staining
acridine orange (shorter)
DAPI (longer).
Other factors may play a role, but these are the major ones. All these factors
must be carefully controlled, recorded, and reported to ensure that results are
meaningful and useful (see Kepner and Pratt, 1994; McFeters et al. 1995).
157
8.2 Testing water for microorganisms

8.2.1 Collecting environmental water samples for testing
Most of the principles of water collection for bacteriological testing also apply
to water for examination by epi-fluorescence microscopy. However, there are a few
significant differences. Since culture is usually not involved, protection against the
toxic effects of chlorine or heavy metals is usually not a major concern. Thus,
dechlorinating or chelating agents are usually not needed. If special situations dictate
otherwise, consult Section 9060 of Standard methods for the examination of
water and wastewater.
Sampling methods
Use a non-reactive glass or plastic bottle. It may be a screwcap bottle or
stoppered with a rubber or Neoprene stopper. If closed with a stopper, the stopper
and top of the container should be covered with a hood of paper secured with string.
For general microorganism testing, the container must be particle-free. Clean and
rinse the container thoroughly. The final rinse should be with distilled or deionized
water that has been filtered through a membrane filter of 0.20.22 m pore size.
After the final rinse it may be sterilized or simply protected from outside
contamination. If the test is for specific microorganisms, as for fluorescent antibody
testing, a final rinse of the sample container with filtered water may not be needed.
Use a sampling container large enough to allow air space on top of the sample
for mixing (at least 2.5 cm). Keep the sampling container covered until actual use.
Then take off the cap and its hood (if used) together. Fill the container without
rinsing. Immediately replace the cap or stopper. Secure the cover, if used, over the
cap or stopper with string.
Sample amount
The cleaner the water sample is expected to be, as from clear streams or lakes,
the larger the sample that must be collected and tested, typically 100 mL to 200 mL.
If sewage is to be tested, the amount needed to test is usually much smaller, 1 to 2
mL. However, a reasonably sized sample still should be collected, 25 to 50 mL, to
be representative. The actual amount to be tested will be decided in the laboratory.
158
Sometimes water that appears to be clear contains algae that clog the test filter.
In this case the laboratory must test smaller samples, but this decision is the
laboratorys, not the samplers. A more than adequate sample must always be taken.
Sample location
Take samples that are truly representative of the water to be tested. Do not
take water samples close to shore or from the bottom (unless studying sediments).
Avoid sampling water near drainage or sewage outfalls. (However, sewage samples
can be collected at sewage outfalls.) If sampling source water for potable water
systems, take the sample at the depth of the inlet pipe. Sometimes, when sampling
at depth, it is helpful to attach a weight to the bottle to lower it by a string into the
water. Attach a second string to the stopper to pull it out at the desired depth.
Remember that pressure increases with depth, and if too deep, this can make the
stopper hard to pull out. If sampling much below 10 metres, be sure that the stopper
is seated lightly in the mouth of the sample container so that it can be pulled out with
the string.
Sampling method
When sampling water from a river, stream or lake, hold the container near its
base, remove the hood and container top, and plunge the sample container, opening
downward, below the water surface. Then turn the container upward in a direction
so that the opening faces the current. If sampling in a lake, move the container
forward to create an artificial current. If in a boat, take the sample on the upstream
side.
When sampling sewage or water suspected to contain pathogenic
microorganisms, for example tropical streams that may be contaminated with
leptospira from animal urine, wear protective clothing. Avoid direct contact with the
sewage or potentially contaminated water by wearing rubber or plastic gloves.
Sample identification
Label each sample immediately after collection with the date, location, depth
and other data that properly and completely describe and identify the sample. A
pencil is usually best for fieldwork.
159
Transport of samples
Take the sample to the testing place as soon as possible, preferably within four
hours. If possible, refrigerate the water sample. If the protocol calls for chemical
preservation of the sample, for example with formalin, add the proper amount
immediately after collection. This stabilizes the microorganism population in tests
for total microorganism counts. Water samples properly fixed in this way will retain
numbers of microorganisms within statistical limits for about three weeks when
stored at 4 C.
Special sampling methods
When testing for pathogenic microorganisms that are rare in water samples,
but still medically significant, very large volumes of water must be collected. This is
the case when testing water sources for potable water distribution in cities. The
organisms usually being sought in these cases are cryptosporidium and giardia
because these are resistant to standard water purification methods. In this case, the
US Environmental Protection Agency protocol calls for collecting a 10 litre water
sample in a plastic carboy [http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/methods/1623.pdf].
Few guidelines are provided for collecting 10 litres of water in one large container.
In these instances the collector must improvise, but the principles above should be
followed as much as possible. The laboratory procedures that are done on samples
of this type are quite specific, and basic collection methods are adequate. There
does not need to be great attention to removal of particles or sterilization. A good
cleaning and rinse with distilled water should be adequate for these large containers.
However, these samples must be delivered to the laboratory without delay.
8.2.2 Detecting and identifying Legionella spp. in water
Purpose
Specific detection and identification of bacteria in aquatic environments.
Approach
Microorganisms in water are trapped on a membrane filter. They are washed off
the filter, a sample of the wash suspension is fixed on a slide, and the slide is
examined by epi-fluorescence microscopy (Figure 8.1).
160
Figure 8.1 Legionella pneumophila in water, magnification 800
Materials
Basic fluorescence microscopy equipment.
Basic fluorescence microscopy supplies.
Vortex mixer.
Membrane filter, 0.45 m pore size (polycarbonate, polysulfone, polyvinylidene
difluoride).
Note: any smooth-surfaced filter is satisfactory.
Filter holding apparatus.

Vacuum source (electrical pump, hand pump).
Sample collection containers (sterile, particle-free).
Test tubes, screwcap, 13 100 mm.
Microscope slides (glass slides with 68 wells are convenient).
Pipettes, 20 L.
Bunsen burner.
161
Fluorescent antibody conjugates (Legionella polyclonal, Legionella various

speciesspecific).
Incubator.
Humidity chamber (Petri dish with moist filter paper in the bottom and applicator
stick slide supports).
Reagents
H2O, distilled or deionized.
Formalin.
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.47.6.
Method
1.
Collect the water sample in a clean, sterile container previously rinsed with
filtered (0.2 m pore size) distilled water.
2.
Set up the filter apparatus with a smooth surface membrane filter in place.
3.
Filter the sample by applying vacuum. Sample size depends on the expected
level of contamination, 10 mL of sewage or 100 mL of ocean or freshwater.
This volume may be adjusted based on experimental experience.
4.
Place the filter in a tube of distilled water, 2 mL.
5.
Vortex the tube for 30 seconds to dislodge the cells from the filter surface.
6.
Remove the filter from the tube.
7.
Add formalin to the suspension in the tube, final concentration 2% formalin.
8.
Place 20 L of the suspension in a small spot, 58 mm diameter, on a slide (a

commercial multi-well slide is convenient to use).
9.
Air-dry and heat-fix the slide.
10. Place 20 L of anti-Legionella conjugate on the fixed spot.

11. Incubate the slide for 30 minutes, 37 C, in a humidity chamber.
12. Rinse the slide with phosphate buffered saline, followed by a final rinse in
distilled water.
162

14. Examine the slide and count fluorescing cells with an epi-illumination
fluorescence microscope.
Other bacteria such as Salmonella spp., E. coli O111:H7, etc., may be tested for in
the same manner by simply changing the specific fluorescent antibody conjugate.
References
Palmer CJ et al., 1993; Palmer CJ et al., 1995.
8.2.3 Fluorescent antibody test to detect enteric bacteria in
environmental water
Purpose
Rapid and specific detection of selected enteric bacteria (for example, Salmonella
spp.) in water from environmental sources.
Approach
Water samples are filtered through polycarbonate filters; a defined area on the filter
is stained by indirect fluorescent antibody using a specific antibody; and the filter is
examined by epi-fluorescence microscopy.
Materials
Membrane filtration system (filter holder, vacuum container, vacuum source).
Refrigerator.
Humidity chamber
Incubator.
Water sample collection supplies (screwcap container, sterile).
Membrane filter, polycarbonate, 0.2 m pore size, black.
163
Reagents
Distilled water.
Immersion oil, non-fluorescent.
Antiserum, polyclonal absorbed or monoclonal (for example, anti-Salmonella).
Anti-species globulin, FITC conjugate (example: goat anti-rabbit globulin if the antiSalmonella serum is made in rabbits).
Method
Fluorescent antibody test
1.
Collect the water sample (sterile screw-cap containers are satisfactory for
fluorescent antibody testing).
2.
Filter a measured volume of the water sample through a polycarbonate

filter, 0.20.22 m pore size.
Note: choose the appropriate sample size depending on the expected sample
contamination, i.e. small sample for sewage, large sample up to 100 mL for expected
clean water.
3.
Mark an 8 mm diameter circle on the membrane filter.
4.
Spot a 20 L drop of anti-Salmonella serum on this circle.
5.
Incubate the filter in a humid chamber, 30 minutes, 37 C.
6.
Rinse the filter in excess phosphate buffered saline, about 30 mL.
7.
Place a 20 L drop of anti-species fluorescent antibody conjugate on the

spot on the filter where the antiserum was placed.
8.
Incubate the filter in a humidity chamber, 30 minutes, 37 C.
9.
Rinse the filter in phosphate buffered saline.
10. Place a drop of non-fluorescent immersion oil on a slide.

11. Place the filter, top face up with the trapped particles, on this immersion oil
drop.
12. Place a drop of non-fluorescent immersion oil on the filter
164
13. Observe the spot on the filter with an epi-illumination fluorescence

microscope, 1000 magnification.
Acridine orange modification for total bacteria count
1.
The water sample must be collected in a container that was rinsed with
filtered distilled water, filter, 0.20.22 m pore size.
2.
Use a buffered acridine orange solution, about pH 7.5.
3.
Filter the sample.
4.
Overlay the filter in the filter holder with 2 mL of acridine orange solution,
1 minute.
5.
Draw the stain through the filter with vacuum.
6.
Rinse the sample with filtered distilled water and draw this through the
filter.
7.
Observe the filter by epi-fluorescence microscopy.
The sensitivity threshold of the fluorescent antibody-filtration method to detect

salmonella in water samples is less than 104 cells per mL, 20 counted fields from a
1 mL sample.
Reference
Desmontes C et al., 1990.
8.2.4 Direct epi-fluorescent total count of bacteria in water
Purpose
Rapidly detection and counting of bacteria in natural and treated water.
Approach
Water samples, fresh or fixed, are filtered through a polycarbonate filter, captured
residue stained with acridine orange, and the filter is examined by epi-fluorescence
microscopy.
165
Materials
Counting graticule, calibrated (in ocular).
Stage micrometer.
Vortex mixer (or blender).
Polycarbonate filters, 25 mm diameter, 0.20.22 m pore size, black.
Vacuum source (electrical or hand pump).
Sample collection containers (sterile, particle-free).
Microscope slides
Syringe, disposable, 35 mL
Syringe filters, 0.20.22 m pore size
Test tubes, 13 125 mm, screw-capped
Reagents
H2O, distilled or deionized, filtered through a filter, 0.20.22 m pore size
Phosphate buffer, pH 7.2.
Gluteraldehyde, 5% w/v (optional).
Acridine orange, 0.1% in phosphate buffer.
Method
1.
Collect the water sample as discussed in Section 8.2.1 above. Use a clean,
sterile container.
2.
Optional. Fix the sample by adding 1.0 mL of 5% gluteraldehyde to 9 mL of

water sample. (Fixed samples can be stored up to three weeks at 4 C.)
3.
Set up the filter apparatus with a polycarbonate filter in place. (Pre-clean the
filter apparatus with filtered water.)
166
4.
Disperse the sample with a vortex mixer or blender to get an even distribution
of microorganisms.
5.
Optional. Make serial 10-fold dilutions of the sample in phosphate buffer if high
counts are expected.
6.
Put 1 mL of the water sample or dilution on the filter in the filter holder.
7.
Add 1 mL of fluorochrome and wait for 2 minutes.
Alternative to steps 6 and 7: Add the fluorochrome to the sample, and allow
these to react for several minutes. Then place this mixture on the filter.
8.
Add about 3 mL of phosphate buffer to the filter.
9.
Apply a vacuum to filter the stained sample (maximum vacuum should be

47.4 kPa or 36 cm Hg).
10. Turn off the vacuum after the sample has passed through.
11. Remove the filter with filter forceps and air-dry it for several minutes.
12. Cut the filter in half and save one half for reference.
13. Place one-half of the dried filter, face up, on a drop of immersion oil on a slide.
14. Add one drop of immersion oil to the top of the filter half.
15. Cover the filter gently with a cover glass.
16. Examine a minimum of 10 random fields by epi-fluorescence with the 100 (oil)
objective in order to assure an even distribution of microorganisms.
17. Count the cells in 20 squares using the calibrated counting graticule. (A count
of 1050 cells per field is preferred. If higher than 50 per field, select an
appropriate 10-fold dilution and repeat the above staining and filtering process.)
18. Calculate an average number of cells per filter. (Total cells per mL = average
cells per square squares per filter dilution factor sample volume in mL.)
Notes
1. All diluents, stains, and buffers coming in contact with the water sample
must be filtered through filters, 0.20.22 m-pore size.
167
2. All sample containers, dilution tubes and the filter apparatus must be prerinsed with distilled water that has been filtered through a filter, 0.20.22
m pore size.
3. This approach to total microbial testing can be done with any filterable
liquid or washings made from equipment or small components.
4. An inorganic filter, the Anopore, is reported to give a flatter view field,
faster filtration and less stain retention than the polycarbonate filters
[Jones, 1989; Williamson, 1989].
5. Calibrate the counting graticule using the stage micrometer.
6. Phosphate buffer:
KH 2PO 4
H2O, distilled
13.6 g
1000 mL
Adjust this to pH 7.2 if necessary.

Filter this through a filter, 0.20.22 m pore size.
References
Clesceri LS et al., 1998; Francisco DE et al., 1973; Hobbie JE et al., 1977; Jones
SE et al., 1989; Williamson FA et al., 1989.
8.2.5 Detecting bacteria and viruses in natural water samples by
DNA-specific fluorochrome staining
Purpose
DNA-specific counting of bacteria and/or virus particles in natural raw waters.
Approach
Seawater (or other raw water) is passed through a polycarbonate filter (various
pore sizes), the filter stained with DAPI, and the sample examined with an epifluorescence microscope.
168
Materials
Basic fluorescence microscopy equipment (mercury vapour light source)
(microscope light filter system: excitation: 350410 nm; dichroic mirror: 455 nm;
barrier: 470 nm).
Formalin, 1% v/v (pre-filtered through filter, 0.20.22 m pore size).
Water sample collection supplies (see Section 8.2.1).
Vacuum filtration system (filter holder and controllable pressure vacuum pump)
Polycarbonate filters, 0.2 m (bacteria) or 0.015 m (viruses) pore size, black
(Nuclepore), 2425 mm diameter.
Cellulose filter, 0.45 m pore size, 25 mm diameter.
DAPI 10 g/mL, aqueous (pre-filtered through a 0.2 m pore size filter).
H2O, distilled or deionized (filtered through a 0.2 m pore size filter).
Immersion oil (non-fluorescent).
Microscope slides.
Water sample (seawater or other natural water).
Method
1.
Collect the water sample.
2.
Stabilize the water sample with an equal volume of 1% formalin. Keep it at

4 C until testing is done.
3.
Set up the vacuum filtration system with the polycarbonate filter on the filter
platform. (Place a cellulose filter under the polycarbonate filter as a support
and damp backing filter.)
4.
Add the water sample to the filter surface (2 mL if testing for virus, 10100
mL if testing for bacteria).
5.
Apply vacuum to the filter (1.33 kPa = 10 mm Hg for the 0.015 m filter, higher
for the 0.2 m filter). (It will take 11.5 hours to pass a 2 mL sample completely
through the 0.015 m filter.)
169
6.
Add 0.5 mL of DAPI solution to the filter, and apply vacuum to filter it. (When
using the 0.2 m pore size filter, allow the DAPI solution to rest on it before
applying vacuum.)
7.
Add 2 mL of pre-filtered distilled/deionized water to the filter, and apply vacuum

to draw this through the filter.
8.
Remove the polycarbonate filter from the filter holder and place it on a drop of
non-fluorescent immersion oil on a microscope slide.
9.
Add a drop of oil to the filter and place a cover glass on it, pressing down gently
to flatten the filter.
10. Examine the polycarbonate filter surface with an epi-illumination fluorescence

microscope. (Use the excitation light source and filters recommended.)
Note: during the filtration, staining and washing process, cover the filter
apparatus with aluminium foil to exclude light.
Results
Particles or specks seen that fluoresce bluewhite or slightly greenish are
interpreted as being biological, viruses (specks) or bacteria (small dots). The
0.015 m filter captures ultramicrobacteria as well as viruses. These
ultramicrobacteria may pass through the 0.2 m pore size filter, but the virus specks
on the 0.015 m pore size filter are 3 to 20 times the number of bacteria. This method
provides a relatively rapid and simple way to assess virus load in natural waters.
References
Hara S, et al., 1991; Hobbie JE, et al., 1977; Pyle BH et al., 1995.
8.3 Testing air for microorganisms

Purpose
Detection and identification of microorganisms in air samples, especially bacteria
and mould spores.
170
Approach
Air is drawn through a polycarbonate filter by means of a vacuum, and the filter
surface is stained and examined by epi-fluorescence microscopy.
Materials
Polypropylene filter, black, 25, 37 or 47 mm diameter, 0.20.45 m pore sizes.
Filter holder, aerosol; 25, 37 or 47 mm diameter.
Flow-limiting orifice (used for measured volume sampling).
Vacuum hose.
Vacuum pump, electrical, vacuum 85.3 kPa = 64 cm Hg.
Aerosol adapter (filter holder to hose).
Acridine orange, pH 4 in acetate buffer.
Epi-fluorescence microscope.
Forceps, blunt smooth tip.
Microscope slide.
Immersion oil, non-fluorescent.
Method (general)
1.
Assemble the filter into the filter holder. (Various types of holder may be used.)
2.
Place the flow-limiting orifice at some location in the vacuum line before the
vacuum pump. (Some orifices screw into the aerosol filter holder, or they can
be placed in the vacuum hose.)
3.
Connect the vacuum hose to the filter holder and vacuum pump.
4.
Turn on the vacuum pump.
5.
Collect the air sample for the desired time period. (This time will be longer for
relatively clean environments and shorter for more contaminated
environmentssee Table 8.1).
171
6.
Open the filter holder, and remove the filter with filter forceps, grasping it
carefully by the edge.
7.
Place a drop of non-fluorescent immersion oil in the centre of a microscope

slide.
8.
Place the filter on the oil. (A 25 mm filter will fit on the slide, but 37 mm and
47 mm filters must be cut in half.)
9.
Stain the filter with acridine orange.
10. Examine the stained filter under an epi-fluorescence microscope.

11. Count the bacterial cells and fungus spores.
References
Clesceri LS et al., 1998; Francisco DE et al., 1973; Hobbie JE et al., 1977; Jones
SE et al., 1989; Williamson FA et al., 1989.
Table 8.1 Suggested sampling times of air in representative areas

Sampling area (air)
Country
City
Dusty
Clean room
Sample size
Air flow (L/minute)*
Time (minutes)
140 L
10
14
30 L
15
14 L
280 L
10
28
These are general estimates. Investigators must base actual sampling times of air flow on preliminary
experiments done in the place being sampled.
*Flow-limiting orifices are available in 2, 3, 10, and 14 L per minute flow rates.
9. Preparation and fluorochrome

labelling of antibodies
Antiserum quality plays a major role in the success of immunofluorescence

investigations. Adequate quantities of sufficiently pure antisera may be available
commercially, but there may still be the need to prepare special antisera.
Several basic principles are involved in production of specific polyclonal
antisera for use in fluorescent antibody conjugates or for indirect fluorescent
antibody tests. The purer the antigen used for animal inoculation, the more specific
the antiserum is likely to be. Longer immunization series will usually yield higher
titre antisera. However, this high titre will be at the expense of a broader reactivity,
i.e. loss of specificity. This may be due to the reaction of the animal to minor
impurities in the antigen, or it may be due in part to an endogenous response by the
animal. This reduced specificity is not necessarily a problem for most fluorescent
antibody systems, and higher titre is usually more important when producing
satisfactory fluorescent antibody conjugates.
Various animals have been used successfully for antibody production, including
mammals and birds. The preferred mammal for antibody production is the rabbit
because of its good immune response and convenient size and handling. For larger
batches of antiserum, especially anti-globulin antisera, the goat is very satisfactory.
It is a distinct advantage to have a large batch of a single antiserum of known quality
and characteristics to compare in experiments done over an extended time.
Sometimes it is useful to have polyvalent conjugates, for example to detect a
group of similar organisms such as Salmonella spp. or to trace various globulins in
tissue. In this instance, it is not practical to prepare all antibodies needed by injecting
them into a single animal. It is unlikely that the proportions of the various antibodies
in the antiserum produced would be satisfactory. It is best to make the component
174
Table 9.1 Fluorescent antibody conjugate preparation scheme

Step
Method
1. Prepare pure antigen:
a. Microbial culture
b. Soluble antigen
2. Produce antiserum:
a. Suitable animal
3. Test antiserum for specificity and titre:
a. Serologic tests
4. Fractionate antiserum:
a. Ammonium sulfate
b. Methanol
c. DEAE cellulose
d. Sodium sulfate
5. Analyse immunoglobulin fraction protein:
a. Biuret test
6. Conjugate immunoglobulin fraction with dye:
a. FITC (dialysis)
b. FITC (dry dye addition)
c. RB 200albumin
7. Separate conjugate and unreacted dye:
a. Gel filtration (Sephadex)

b. Dialysis
8. Other conjugate purification (optional):
a. Tissue powder absorption

b. Chromatography (DEAE cellulose)
9. Characterize conjugate:
a. Titration
b. Dyeprotein ratio
c. Non-specific staining
(Background staining)
(Serologic cross-reactions)
10. Apply conjugate to test antigen (with or

without counterstain)
parts separately in different animals and pool them in appropriate proportions based
on titrations of each antiserum to gain the desired titre of each in the polyvalent
fluorescent antibody conjugate.
Monoclonal antibodies are particularly attractive for many fluorescent antibody
studies. They offer a very high degree of specificity and can be used both for
direct fluorescent antibody and indirect fluorescent antibody tests. The procedures
for preparing monoclonal antibodies are too complex to be described in detail in
this manual. However, a great range of monoclonal antibodies is commercially
available, and many of these sources are listed in the Annexes. By using these
for indirect fluorescent antibody tests with high titre anti-globulin conjugate,
monoclonal antibodies can be extended to many fluorescent antibody tests.
175
Animal and human serum may contain antibodies in sufficiently high titre
after an infection to be used in fluorescent antibody tests in order to detect infecting
organisms. However, such serum must be very carefully characterized before such
use, since it is also likely to contain antibodies to other antigens as well.
The general steps for preparing fluorescent conjugated antibodies are outlined
in Table 9.1.
9.1 Representative methods for antiserum preparation

9.1.1 Intense intravenous injection series
Purpose
Antiserum against Neisseria meningitidis serogroups for use in agglutination
identification and fluorescent antibody tests.
Approach
Antiserum is produced against Neisseria meningitidis in rabbits by an intense series
of intravenous inoculations interspersed by short rest periods. The same procedure
is suitable for producing antisera against other bacteria.
Materials
N. meningitidis groups A, B, C, D, W-135.
MuellerHinton agar.
MuellerHinton broth.
Trypticase soy broth.
Balanced salt solution (Hanks without glucose and indicators).
Photometer.
Rabbits, 2 to 2.5 kg.
Inoculation equipment.
Equipment and supplies for culture incubation at 30 C in 10% CO2.
Blood collection and serum processing equipment and supplies.
176
Antigen preparation
1.
Inoculate several MuellerHinton agar plates with thawed frozen stock culture
and incubate them overnight at 30 C (10% CO2).
2.
Harvest cells with either Trypticase soy broth or MuellerHinton broth (5 mL

per plate) and check them for purity by Gram stain.
3.
Seed several flasks (500 mL) containing 150 mL MuellerHinton broth with
15 mL of cell suspensions, and incubate them on a rotary shaker for 45 hours
at 30 C.
Note: serogroup D is slow growing and usually requires a larger inoculum.
4.
Remove the cells by centrifugation (10 minutes at 3000g), decant supernatant,

and resuspend the cells aseptically to an optical density of 1.0 (520 nm) in
modified Hanks balanced salt solution (no indicator or sugar).
5.
Place the cell suspensions into sterile vaccine bottles and freeze immediately
at 50 C or below.
Note: the distribution of cells in the vaccine bottles is designed for thawing only
one bottle each day for immunization.
Antiserum production
The rabbits are injected intravenously as follows:
Day
Procedure
15
0.5 mL cell suspension each day
68
Rest
913
1.0 mL cell suspension each day
1418
Rest
192021
Bleed by cardiac puncture
Rabbits are taken off food 1 day before bleeding. The blood is allowed to clot in glass
test tubes at room temperature for 1 hour, the clot ringed with an applicator stick,
and the tube placed in the refrigerator overnight. The tubes are then centrifuged,
and the serum is removed with a pipette. Serum is stored at 20 C.
177
Serum test methods

The titration method is slide agglutination. Each rabbit antiserum is checked for
specificity against prototype organisms of all other types. All type specific sera are
then pooled, and the type specificity is rechecked. The antisera are tested for the
appropriate working dilution that gives 4+ agglutination and shows specificity.
Note: 4+ is the strongest agglutination of the bacteria that can be achieved.
Reference
Vedros NA, 1980.
9.1.2 Multiple injections of purified antigen by different inoculation
routes
Purpose
Highly specific and high titre antiserum against Vibrio cholerae for coagglutination
reagents, fluorescent antibody conjugates, and other serological tests.
Approach
Antiserum is raised against Vibrio cholerae using a purified antigen and applying
different routes of injection. The same procedure is suitable for producing antiserum
against other antigens.
Materials
V. cholerae El Tor Inaba, non-haemolytic, strain 929 (source: Institut Pasteur, Unit
du Cholra et des Vibrions).
Note: other strains may be suitable, but they must be tested to assure this.
Heart infusion agar.
Rabbits, 2 kg or larger.
Serum separation and processing equipment.
178
Antigen preparation
Purified antigen from V. cholerae Ch 1+2 fraction is prepared as follows. Use the
recommended strain of V. cholerae for this antiserum production. This is strain
9292, isolated at Dakar in 1971. It is V. cholerae El Tor Inaba, non-haemolytic.
Note: the antigen is in the first and second fraction collected on a molecular
separative gel of the bacterial lysate.
1.
Grow the bacteria on heart infusion agar, pH 8.2, 18 hours at 37 C in Roux

bottles. Alternatively, Petri dishes may be used.
2.
Harvest the bacterial cells from the agar surface with distilled water, and
concentrate them by centrifugation. Bring this suspension to a concentration
of 8 108 cells per mL. (See the McFarland turbidity standards, Section 5.2
[McFarland J, 1907].)
3.
Lyse the cells by ultrasound at 500 kHz for 4 hours, followed by centrifugation
at 3000g for 20 minutes.
4.
Save the supernate (antigen) and adjust the nitrogen content to 8 g/L.
5.
Separate the antigenic fractions from the whole lysate using Sephadex G200
(fine). Use a column 25 mm in diameter and 450 mm long.
6.
Fill the column with 205 mL of G200 (40120 mesh) gel.
7.
Elute the column with phosphate buffer, 0.15 M, pH 7.2.
8.
Collect the eluate in 3 mL samples at 20 C. It is convenient to use a fraction

collector.
9.
Measure the protein in the samples at 280 nm. Fractions (samples) numbers 20
to 29 should contain the antigen.
Note: two other methods of cell lysis may be used.

a.
Freeze the cell suspension at 70 C, then warm to 37 C. This is done for six
cycles. Centrifuge the mixture and save the supernatant liquid (antigen).
b.
Suspend the bacteria in saltglucose solution at a concentration of 8 108

cells per mL. Warm the suspension at 37 C for 4 hours. The pH falls to 5.8.
Centrifuge the suspension, and save the supernate (antigen).
179
Antiserum raising
1.
Animal selection: use rabbits weighing at least 2 kg.
2.
Immunization schedule
Five routes of immunization are used. Injections are given at five-day intervals.
The schedule is as follows:
Day
Route
Intradermal
Amount
2 mL
Intramuscular
2 mL
11
Subcutaneous
2 mL
16
Intraperitoneal
2 mL
21
Intravenous
2 mL
36
Bleed for serum
Notes
20 shots, 0.1 mL each*
* Mix the antigen with Freund adjuvant, 20%. Intradermal injections are
given along the back of the rabbit. Shaving the rabbits back makes it more
convenient.
Antiserum collection
1.
Bleed the immunized rabbit by cardiac puncture.
2.
Express the blood from the syringe into glass test tubes.
3.
Allow the blood to clot 1 hour at room temperature. Ring the clot from the sides
of the tube with an applicator stick or glass rod.
4.
Store the clotted blood at 4 C overnight to allow the clot to retract.
5.
Decant the serum from the blood clot carefully.
6.
Centrifuge the serum to remove any remaining blood cells.
7.
Store the serum at 20 C.
Reference
Dodin A, Wiart J, 1975.
180
9.1.3 Long intravenous injection series of nonviable antigens

Purpose
Legionella antiserum for use in fluorescent antibody conjugates.
Approach
The inoculation schedule begins with an intramuscular injection of bacteria in
complete Freund adjuvant followed by a second intramuscular injection in Freund
incomplete adjuvant. Then, a long series of injections is given intravenously until
test bleedings show that the antibody titre plateaus. At this point, the serum is
harvested.
Materials
Rabbits, 2 kg minimum size.
Legionella bacteria (killed) in saline suspension, 4 109 cells per dose.
Freund complete adjuvant (Difco).
Freund incomplete adjuvant (Difco).
Inoculation equipment (syringes, needles, etc.).
Antibody titration systems (agglutination, indirect fluorescent antibody).
Immunization schedule
Day
Action
Intramuscular dose in complete Freund adjuvant
31
Intramuscular dose in incomplete Freund adjuvant
38
Intravenous dose
42
Intravenous dose
46
Intravenous dose
50
Test bleed and titre serum. Give intravenous dose
54
Test bleed and titre serum. Give intravenous dose
58 etc.
Intravenous doses given every 4 days until the serum agglutination titre plateaus
Bleed from the heart 47 days after the last dose.
181
Reference
McKinney RM, Cherry WB, 1985.
9.1.4 Single intravenous antigen injection in roosters
Purpose
High-titre specific antiserum for pathogenic organisms produced in roosters.
Approach
Live pathogenic bacteria are injected intravenously into roosters to produce specific
antibodies in high titre in a short time. These can be used for direct fluorescent
antibody conjugates and indirect fluorescent antibody tests. The following
procedure describes the production of antibodies against Francisella tularensis.
The same procedure can also be used for the production of other antigens (e.g. for
Pseudomonas spp.).
Materials
Roosters, 45 kg, at least 22 weeks old.
Francisella tularensis culture.
Glucose cysteine blood agar (GCBA) or other suitable culture medium.
Method
1.
2.
Antigen preparation
a.
Bacteria are grown on appropriate agar media (F. tularensis grown on

GCBA) for 24 hours at 37 C.
b.
Cells are harvested into saline and adjusted to the chosen concentration
(5 107 viable cells per mL for F. tularensis).
Inoculation schedule
Day 1: 0.1 mL of viable F. tularensis cell suspension is inoculated intravenously
into a rooster using a wing vein.
Day 9: Exsanguinate the rooster.
182
Serum titration
Use slide agglutination tests for titration. If cross-reaction occurs, it can be
eliminated by heterologous adsorption.
Notes
1.
The White Leghorn rooster seems best suited to antibody production. Hens
should be avoided because their serum may be opalescent, making some
procedures difficult.
2.
If live, highly pathogenic organisms are used for the inoculum, the procedures
must be done in safety containment facilities, and the birds must be quarantined
in safety containment facilities. Disposal of birds should be by incineration.
3.
A high-titre specific antibody response can be produced in chickens with a

single antigenic injection. Titres can be increased by further antigen injections
but at the expense of loss of specificity. Thus, an excellent and specific antibody
can be raised in roosters with a single antigenic injection. The procedure
can be applied to many antigens, including Yersinia pestis, Pseudomonas
spp., Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus, Rift Valley fever virus,
Staphylococcus enterotoxin and the serum globulins of most species.
References
Abramoff P, Wolfe HR, 1959; Wolfe HR et al., 1957; Yager RH et al., 1961.
9.1.5 Short series of intravenous injections using non-viable whole
bacteria
Purpose
Salmonella O antiserum for agglutination and fluorescent antibody conjugates.
Approach
Salmonella strains with appropriate O antigens are selected. These are heat-treated
to destroy H antigens, and killed salmonella cells are inoculated intravenously
into rabbits. The procedure is also suitable for producing other bacterial antisera.
183
Materials
Salmonella culture (appropriate O antigen).
MacConkey agar plate.
Nutrient agar slant.
Saline, 0.15 M.
McFarland No. 7 turbidity standard.
Merthiolate, 1% stock solution.
Rabbits, 2 kg or larger.
Serum collection and processing equipment.
Procedure
A. O antigen preparation
1.
Streak the Salmonella strain out on a MacConkey agar plate and incubate
it overnight.
2.
Transfer an isolated smooth colony on to a nutrient agar slant. Incubate

for 1820 hours at 37 C.
3.
Wash the growth off the slant in 0.85% saline.
4.
Dilute the suspension so that there are approximately 2 109 bacteria per
millilitre (McFarland No. 7).
5.
Boil the suspension for 2 hours. Cool it and preserve it with 1% final
merthiolate concentration.
6.
Store the preserved antigen in the refrigerator at 4 C.
B. Inoculation schedule
1.
Use rabbits, minimum 2 kg.
2.
Rabbits are given 4 intravenous injections of the suspension at 4-day

intervals. The amounts administered are: 0.5 mL, 1 mL, 2 mL, and
3 mL. (It may be necessary to add one last injection of 3 mL of the antigen
suspension in order to obtain a sufficiently high titre of antiserum.)
184
3.
Bleed the rabbits 68 days after the last injection. The titre by tube
agglutination test should be 1:1600 to 1:6400.
C. Serum collection and processing

1.
Bleed the rabbits by cardiac puncture.
2.
Collect the blood in sterile glass tubes (potato tubes).
3.
After clotting occurs, about 1 hour, ring and loosen the clot from the walls
of the tubes with an applicator stick or a glass rod.
4.
Allow the tubes to stand overnight at 4 C (in the refrigerator).
5.
Pour the serum off and centrifuge it until it is clear of blood cells.
6.
Preserve the serum with merthiolate (thimerosal), final concentration

0.01% (0.1 mL of 1% stock solution of merthiolate in phosphate buffered
saline for each 10 mL of serum).
Reference
LeMinor L, Rohde R, 1978.
9.1.6 Antibody preparation against immunoglobulins in goats
Purpose
Preparation of a large batch of antiglobulin antiserum for use in direct fluorescent
antibody tests.
Approach
A goat is given multiple site intramuscular injections of purified IgG and then bled
for anti-IgG antibody.
Materials
Goat (medium-sized adult, not old).
IgG immunoglobulin (prepared by DEAE cellulose fractionation).
185
Blood collection supplies (2050 mL syringes, 1820 gauge needles, large

centrifuge tubes or bottles, 70% methanol, etc.).
Centrifuge.
Refrigerator.
Freund complete adjuvant.
Inoculation supplies (510 mL syringes, 2021 ga needle, 70% ethanol, etc.).
Method
1.
Take a pre-immunization blood sample, 100200 mL.
2.
Allow the blood to clot. Ring it from the tube sides with an applicator stick or
glass rod, and place it in the refrigerator overnight to retract the clot.
3.
Decant the serum.
4.
Clarify the serum of any blood cells by centrifugation.
5.
Save this pre-immunization serum for control studies.
6.
Immunize the goat.

a.
Inject the goat with IgG (or other purified globulin) at four intramuscular
sites; total dose: 0.5 mg IgG per kg of body weight.
b.
Emulsify serum globulin at 0.5% solution in phosphate buffered saline in

an equal volume of Freund complete adjuvant;
7.
Repeat the same dose at 6 weeks.
8.
Bleed the goat 3 weeks after the second dose, from the jugular vein, about
400500 mL.
9.
Allow the blood to clot, as in step 2 above, decant the serum, and clarify it by
centrifugation, as in steps 3 and 4 above.
10. Give a booster immunization 612 weeks after the second dose.
11. Bleed the goat out 3 weeks later. This should yield more than 1 L of anti-IgG
antiserum.
186
References
Nairn RC, 1968; Proom H, 1943.
9.1.7 Antibody preparation against immunoglobulins in rabbits
Purpose
Production of high-titre rabbit anti-human globulin antisera.
Approach
Antibodies are produced in rabbits by subcutaneous injection of human
immunoglobulins.
Materials
Pure IgG.
Complete and incomplete Freund adjuvant.
Sephadex G25.
Beakers, mixer, crushed ice.
5 mL syringes.
Rabbits, 2 to 2.5 kg.
10% w/v potassium aluminium sulfate (alum) solution.
1 N sodium bicarbonate solution.
Method for anti-IgG antibodies
1.
Disperse 2 mg IgG and 50 mg Sephadex G 25 in 2 mL phosphate buffered

saline.
2.
Add 2 mL of Freund complete adjuvant drop by drop, keeping the mixture on

ice and stirred well. If no suitable mixer/stirrer is available, the suspension can
be transferred to and fro between two 5 mL syringes connected by tubing, until
a stiff emulsion is obtained.
187
3.
Place a drop of the emulsion on the surface of lukewarm water (body

temperature). The drop should not disperse or run.
4.
Inoculate each rabbit with approximately 0.2 mL of the suspension

subcutaneously between the toes, with 2 mL subcutaneously under the shaved
skin of the back, and the remainder given intramuscularly into the upper
thigh.
5.
Repeat the procedure after 10 days using half the volume.
Method for antiL chain antibodies

To produce antibodies against L chains, the antigen is given intravenously after 20
days rest.
1.
Dissolve 10 mg IgG in 2.5 mL phosphate buffered saline, mix with 15 mL

1 N NaHCO3 solution and add 2.5 mL of a 10% w/v solution of potassium
aluminium sulfate (alum) dropwise within 10 minutes.
2.
Allow the suspension to stand overnight at 4 C in a refrigerator.
3.
After centrifugation for 30 minutes at 15 000g, resuspend the precipitate in 4

mL phosphate buffered saline.
4.
Inject the suspension intravenously into a rabbit in the following quantities

twice weekly over a three-week period:
Week 1:
0.05 mL and 0.10 mL
Week 2:
0.10 mL and 0.20 mL
Week 3:
0.20 mL and 0.40 mL
5.
Take the first blood samples, and test it by Ouchterlony diffusion 12 weeks
after the last injection.
6.
Store the serum at 20 C.
Note: antibodies produced during the early phase of an immune response (the
primary response) usually have a higher specificity but lower avidity than those
produced during the later phases (the secondary response), when this relationship
is reversed. Furthermore, it is often more effective to allow a longer period to elapse
(fivesix weeks) after the first injection before giving the second injection.
188
Reference
Storch WB, 2000.
9.2 Purification of gamma globulins

9.2.1 Ammonium sulfate precipitation
Purpose
Conservation of expensive dye and assuring efficient conjugation of antibodies in
sera to be used for immunofluorescence.
Approach
Ammonium sulfate salt solution salts out the globulin, which precipitates.
Materials
Magnetic stirrer and stirring magnet.
Beaker, 500 mL.
Burette.
Refrigerator.
Centrifuge.
Reagents
Saturated (NH4)2SO4 (at 4 C):
(NH4)2SO4, 750 g (approximately)
H2O, distilled to 1000 mL
Dissolve the ammonium sulfate at room temperature. Cool and store it in the
refrigerator at 04 C.
Combine equal volumes of the supernatant from the saturated solution and
distilled water. Store this at 04 C.
NaCl solution, 0.15 M.
189
Nessler reagent (see Annex 14).

Merthiolate stock solution, 1% in phosphate buffered saline.
Method
1.
Dilute the antiserum with an equal volume of 0.15 M NaCl solution in a

beaker.
2.
Chill the solution to 04 C.
3.
Place it on a mechanical stirrer.
4.
Add, dropwise while stirring, cold saturated (NH4)2SO4 equal to the volume of
the serumsaline solution.
5.
Stir this solution for 30 minutes.
6.
Centrifuge for 1530 minutes at 10001500g (15 cm radius), 4 C.
7.
Discard the clear supernatant liquid.
8.
Wash the precipitate with the half-saturated (NH4)2SO4 solution.
9.
Centrifuge as above.
10. Discard the clear supernatant liquid.

11. Dissolve the precipitate in one-third of the original serum volume using cold
0.15 M NaCl.
12. Dialyse the solution against frequent changes of phosphate buffered saline,
pH 7.4, at 4C, until the dialysate is free of ammonium ions, 37 days. Test
the dialysate following 12 hours of dialysis. Use Nessler reagent to detect
ammonium ions in the dialysate (see Annex 14).
13. Recover the globulin solution from the dialysis sac, and freeze it or preserve.
It with merthiolate, 1:10 000 final concentration, stored at 4 C until ready for
conjugation.
Reference
Coons AH, 1957.
190
9.2.2 DEAESephadex fractionation

Materials
DEAESephadex A-50, medium grade.
NaCl, 2 M
Phosphate buffer, 0.02M, pH 7.6.
Solution 1:
NaH2PO4H2O, 2.76 g.
H2O, distilled, to 1000 mL.

Solution 2:
Na2HPO4, 2.84 g.

Add solution 1 to solution 2 in a ratio to yield pH 7.6 in a beaker under pH meter
control while stirring. (The ratio will be approximately 1:9.)
Method
1.
Prepare and pack the chromatography column in accordance with directions

of the manufacturer.
2.
Equilibrate the column using phosphate buffer (four column volumes) at

4 C.
3.
Place the serum on the column.
4.
Elute the gamma globulin using phosphate buffer (check fractions or samples
for protein using a spectrophotometer at 280 nm or biuret tests.)
5.
Combine the protein-containing fractions (gamma globulin).
6.
Concentrate the gamma globulin using PVP to the desired concentration, if

necessary.
7.
Elute the remaining proteins from the column using 2 M NaCl solution. Discard
these proteins or save them, if required for other work.
References
Dedmon RE et al., 1965; Levy HB, Sober HA, 1960.
191
9.3 Globulin concentration with polyethylene glycol

Purpose
Concentration of dilute globulin solutions before conjugation with fluorochrome.
Approach
Several methods can be used. These are:
dialysis against water-soluble polymers such as polyethylene glycol (Carbowax

series)
lyophilization
pressure-filtration or negative-pressure dialysis using semi-permeable

membranes
adsorption on to protein A-Sepharose, followed by elution with 0.58% w/v

acetic acid in 0.15 M NaCl and dialysis against phosphate buffered saline.
Dialysis against polyethylene glycol is inexpensive, simple to do, and generally

applicable. The method is described below.
Materials
Polyethylene glycol (Carbowax 2000) 20%25% w/v in phosphate buffered
saline.
Dialysis equipment (tank or graduated cylinder, twirling apparatus).
Dialysis tubing and string.
Refrigerator.
Globulin solution.
Method
1.
Soak the dialysis tubing in phosphate buffered saline.
2.
Secure one end of the tubing by tying knots in it. (Use two knots in succession
on the tubing for security.)
192
3.
Fill the dialysis tubing with the globulin solution to be concentrated and
secure the end with a string knot (do this over a beaker in case something goes
wrong).
4.
Place the tubing directly into the bath of previously prepared polymer solution
(at least 10 volumes). The time required for dialysis depends on the quantities
involved and the degree of concentration desired. It can be anywhere from a
few hours to several days.
Reference
Lipp W, 1961.
9.4 Conjugation of immunoglobulin with fluorochromes

9.4.1 Conjugation of globulin with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)
9.4.1.1 Direct reaction method
Purpose
Preparation of FITC-antibody conjugate for use in fluorescent antibody tests.
Approach
Dry crystalline FITC is added slowly to the globulin solution while stirring in the
cold.
Materials
Gamma globulin solution.
Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), isomer 1, 9 % or greater.
Carbonate buffer, pH 8.5 (see Section 12, Annex 13).
NaCl, 0.15 M.
Analytical balance.
Refrigerator, 4 C.
193
Beakers, various sizes.

Chromatography column.
Sephadex G-25.
Method
1.
Find the concentration of protein in the sample in terms of mg/mL.
2.
Calculate the total protein content of the sample.
3.
Find the final total volume of the conjugation reaction mixture at the protein
concentration desired. (Generally this is 10 mg/mL, 20 mg/mL, or 25 mg/
mL.)
Note: at 10 mg/mL protein concentration, the reaction mixture volume will be 1/10 of the total
protein in the original sample.
Example:
sample is 15 mL at 17 mg/mL, protein = 255 mg total protein
Total protein
255 mg
Volume at 10 mg/mL 25.5 mL
Volume at 20 mg/mL 12.3 mL.
4.
Set up calculations for the conjugation mixture as follows:

Total volume at _______mg/mL
= ______mL
Sample volume
= ______mL
(10% of total volume)
= ______mL
0.15M NaCl (to total volume)
= ______mL
Note: carbonatebicarbonate buffer A = B + C + D
5.
Prepare the reaction mixture in accordance with the calculations in 4 above.
6.
Add FITC in the dye/protein ratio desired (1:20, 1:40, 1:80 are common
ratios.). Add dye slowly.
Ratio
Dye
Protein
1:20 =
0.05 mg per
1.0 mg
1:40 =
0.025 mg per 1.0 mg
1:80 =
0.0125 mg per 1.0 mg
194
7.
Store the complete reaction mixture for the desired time period at 04 C in
the refrigerator.
Protein concentration
8.
Dye/protein ratio
Reaction time
10 mg/mL
1:20
1418 hours
20 mg/mL
1:401:80
48 hours
25 mg/mL
1:401:80
48 hours
Pass the conjugate through a Sephadex G-25 gel column. Collect the first
coloured band. This is the conjugate.
Alternatively, remove conjugation mixture from the stirrer, place it in a dialysis
tube, and dialyse it against frequent changes of phosphate buffered saline (0.15
M NaCl, pH 7.4) for 47 days (until there is no more fluorescein in the dialysate
following 12 hours of dialysis). Use a UV light such as a Wood lamp to check
for fluorescence in the dialysate.
9.4.1.2 Dialysis method

Purpose
Gentle, simple conjugation of FITC to gamma globulin.
Approach
Gamma globulin solution is dialysed against an alkaline solution of FITC at 4 C.
Materials
Gamma globulin solution in saline (0.15 M NaCl).
Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) (isomer 1, 90%, is preferred).
Carbonatebicarbonate buffer (0.025 M), pH 8.5 or pH 9.0 (see Section 12, Annex
13).
Dialysis tubing, approximately 19 mm diameter.
Graduated cylinder, 50 or 100 mL.
Magnetic stirrer with magnet stirring bar.
195
Sephadex G-25.
Refrigerator.
Freezer, 20 C.
Method
1.
Adjust the globulin solution to 1% (10 mg/mL) with the carbonatebicarbonate

buffer. Measure the final volume.
2.
Prepare a solution of FITC, 0.1 mg/mL, in carbonatebicarbonate buffer, 10

times the volume measured in step 1 above.
3.
Place the globulin solution in a dialysis bag.
4.
Hang the dialysis bag in a graduated cylinder filled with the FITC solution.
5.
Stir the solution in the graduated cylinder around the dialysis bag with a
magnetic mixer.
6.
Continue the reaction for 24 hrs at 4 C.
7.
Remove the conjugated globulin from the dialysis bag and pass it through the
Sephadex G-25 column equilibrated with phosphate buffered saline. The fast
moving coloured fraction is the conjugate. Dialysis of the conjugate against
many changes of phosphate buffered saline may also be used to remove the
unreacted FITC instead of gel filtration if desired. There will be little free
unreacted FITC in the conjugate.
8.
Adjust the conjugate to the desired concentration with phosphate buffered

saline, usually 1:2 of the original volume passed through the Sephadex column.
Filter the conjugate through a membrane filter (0.45 m pore size) and divide
it into convenient aliquots in vials or test tubes.
9.
Store the aliquots of conjugate at 20 C.
Note: this conjugation method is gentle on the antibody, and it leaves little
unreacted FITC in the conjugate. Dialysis or gel filtration of the conjugate to
remove unreacted dye may not be needed. The drawback to this method is that it
uses more FITC dye than the direct reaction conjugation method.
196
Reference
Clark HF, Shepard CC, 1963.
9.4.1.3 Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) method
Purpose
Preparation of a green fluorescent antibody conjugate with FITC.
Approach
FITC is dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide solution and added slowly to purified
IgG.
Materials
Serum globulin fraction, purified IgG (see Section 9.2.1 or 9.2.2).
Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) , isomer 1 (crystalline, minimum 90%).
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
Carbonate buffer, pH 9.3.
Phosphate buffer, 0.01 M, pH 8.0.
Refrigerator.
Beakers, various sizes.
Dropping pipette (Pasteur).
Biogel P-6 (BioRad laboratories).
Method
1.
Dialyse the purified serum IgG fraction against carbonate buffer, pH 9.3,
overnight in the refrigerator.
197
2.
Adjust the concentration of the IgG fraction to about 6 mg/mL in 10 mL total

volume.
3.
Stir this mixture slowly in a small beaker on a magnetic stirrer, room

temperature.
4.
Dissolve FITC in DMSO at a ratio of 1:100 (3 mg FITC in 3 mL DMSO).
5.
Add the FITC/DMSO solution to the IgG solution dropwise, while stirring.
Allow the reaction to take place for 2 hours at room temperature.
6.
Pass the mixture through a column of Biogel P-6 and collect the first coloured
band. This is the conjugate.
Reference
Goding JW, 1976.
9.4.2 Conjugation of globulin or bovine serum albumin with
lissamine rhodamine B (RB 200)
Purpose
Red fluorescent stain for fluorescent antibody tests and counterstain for FITC
conjugates.
Approach
Serum proteins, including whole serum, globulin fractions and bovine serum
albumin are conjugated with RB 200 to yield red fluorescing specific-antibody
conjugates or bovine serum albumin that can be mixed with green fluorescing FITC
conjugates to act as a contrasting colour counterstain.
Materials
Dry box.
Fume hood.
Ice bath.
Dessicator jar.
Refrigerator.
198

pH meter.
Mortar and pestle.
Erlenmeyer flask, 125 mL.
RB 200 (lissamine rhodamine B) 1.0 g.
PC15 (dry), 2.0 g.
CAUTION. This chemical is corrosive and toxic. It is first dried in a dessicator jar
over P2O5. When handling and weighing PC15, use a dry box. If this is not available,
try to work on a low humidity day.
Acetone (dry), 10.0 mL.
Note: Add several grams of anhydrous CaCl2 to 50 mL of acetone and let the mixture stand several hours
with occasional shaking.
Carbonatebicarbonate buffer, 0.5 M, pH 9.0.

Phenol saline (1.5M NaCl, 0.5% phenol).
Serum protein solution in phenol saline.
Note: let these solutions equilibrate at 4 C for five days before conjugation.
Whole serum. Mix equal parts of serum and NaCl, 0.15 M, containing 1%
phenol.
Serum globulins. Reconstitute fractionated precipitates from antisera in phenol
saline at pH 8.0.
Bovine serum albumin. Dissolve bovine serum albumin in 0.15 M NaCl containing
0.5% phenol at pH 8.0 to a bovine serum albumin concentration of 15 mg/mL.
Sephadex G-25 (coarse bead).
Method
1.
Grind the RB 200 and PC15 together in a mortar for about 5 minutes. Do this
step in a fume hood because of corrosive fumes.
2.
Scrape as much of the dye powder as possible into a flask. Using a portion of
the dry acetone, wash the rest of the dye powder from the mortar into the flask.
199
Cap the flask loosely, and mix the solution occasionally for 10 minutes.
3.
Filter the solution through filter paper.
4.
Mix 1 volume of carbonatebicarbonate buffer with each 2 volumes of the

serum proteinphenol saline solution (or serum globulin or bovine serum
albumin). Cool this mixture in an ice bath.
5.
Stir at 35 C, and slowly add the acetone solution of RB 200. (Add this
over about 15 minutes.) Be sure that the mixture remains alkaline during the
procedure. Keep constant pH control using a pH meter.
a.
Whole serum: 0.1 mL RB 200 solution per 2 mL of serumphenol saline

solution
b.
Globulins or bovine serum albumin: 0.1 mL RB 200 solution per 60 mg

total protein.
Note: when conjugating a solution of fractionated serum globulins, prepare the reaction
mixture by adding one-third of the original serum volume of carbonatebicarbonate buffer.
Adjust the mixture to 10 mg of protein per mL. Add the RB 200 solution at the rate of 0.1 mL
per 60 mg total protein.
6.
Continue stirring in the cold on a magnetic stirrer 1418 hours.
7.
Dialyse against phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4, for 24 hours with several
changes of dialysate.
8.
Pass the conjugate through a Sephadex G-25 (coarse bead) column using
phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4, as an eluant.
9.
Store small aliquots frozen for use.
Use
1.
Mix the RB 200bovine serum albumin conjugate with fluorescein isothiocyanate

conjugates as a counterstain in an appropriate ratio, usually between 1:20 and
1:30.
2.
Mix serum or globulin conjugates containing RB 200-bovine serum albumin

with the antigen or specimen in question.
3.
Proceed as in the fluorescent antibody test.
200
References
Chadwick CS et al., 1958; Smith CW et al., 1959.
9.4.3 Conjugation of globulins with tetramethylrhodamine
isothiocyanate (TRITC)
Purpose
Preparation of red fluorescing antibody conjugates.
Approach
Globulin fractions of antisera are conjugated with TRITC in an alkaline solution
using DMSO as a solvent.
Materials
Refrigerator.
Beakers.
Dialysis equipment.
Carbonate buffer, pH 9.3.
TRITC, crystalline.
IgG serum fraction.
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
Gel filtration column.
Biogel P-6 (or Sephadex G25).
Method
1.
Dilute the IgG fraction in carbonate buffer to approximately 6 mg/mL in a total

volume of 10 mL.
2.
Dialyse the IgG fraction against carbonate buffer overnight at room temperature
while stirring the dialysate bath using a magnetic stirrer.
3.
Dissolve 3 mg TRITC in 3 mL DMSO (1 mg per mL).
4.
Add the TRITC solution to the IgG dropwise with continuous stirring.
5.
Allow the solution to stand at room temperature in the dark.
6.
Purify the solution by gel chromatography over Biogel P-6.
201
References
Bergqvist NR, Nilsson P, 1974; Goding JW, 1976.
9.5 Removal of unreacted dye from fluorescent antibody

conjugates
9.5.1 Gel filtration
Free dye is separated from labelled conjugate by chromatography using crosslinked dextran or polyacrylamide gels (Sephadex or Biogel). After being soaked
in aqueous solutions, these function as molecular sieves. Small molecules, such
as free FITC, penetrate the pores and are slowed as they pass down the column,
whereas larger molecules, such as protein-bound FITC, are not slowed and pass
through the column quickly. Sephadex is usually used, but Biogel polyacrylamide
gel series should be used for separations when it is important to avoid carbohydrate
contamination or protein binding problems.
Apparatus
Chromatography column, with or without a cooling water jacket.
Commercial columns are available, but one can be made using a simple glass
or plastic tube with a sintered glass platform and a stopper in the bottom end.
Alternatively, 0.51 cm glass wool held in place by glass beads at the bottom of the
cylinder is a sufficient platform for the gel. A 50 or 100 mL plastic syringe barrel
can be used for a column. A drain in the bottom of the cylinder allows liquid to be
drawn off. Flow is controlled with a stopcock or an adjustable clamp on a section
of rubber hose attached to the column drain (Figure 9.1).
202
Figure 9.1 Column for gel chromatography
203
Materials and reagents

Sephadex G-25 or G-50 medium grade.
Conjugate, freshly prepared.
Gel preparation
Prepare the column 12 days before use. Depending on the column used (length:
diameter = 10:1 to 30:1), 610 g of Sephadex will be needed to purify 10 mL of
conjugate. Disperse the dry powder in the phosphate buffered saline by stirring it in
sufficient phosphate buffered saline in a beaker so that, after settling, the supernatant
liquid volume is approximately five times that of the gel layer. After soaking for
about 5 hours, remove small particles by washing with phosphate buffered saline
and decanting a number of times. Degassing is rarely needed, but when required,
do it using a water vacuum pump.
Column preparation
Mount the chromatography column vertically, wash it with phosphate buffered
saline, and leave phosphate buffered saline in one-third of the column volume.
Suspend the swollen Sephadex in an equal volume of buffer, and, in one movement,
pour it into the column. Open the column drain only after the gel has started to settle
by gravity. When the gel has completely settled, cover the top of the gel bed with
either a circle of filter paper or a nylon net applicator disk.
Filtration
1.
Drain off most of the phosphate buffered saline above the top of the gel
column.
2.
Carefully allow the remainder of phosphate buffered saline to run exactly to

the gel surface.
3.
Lay the conjugate, carefully dropwise, onto the top of the gel.
4.
Allow it to penetrate into the gel by gravity. It may be necessary to open the
drain slightly.
204
Figure 9.2 Labelled conjugate passing through a Sephadex column
5.
Add more phosphate buffered saline to the top of the gel column and connect
a buffer reservoir (optional) to the top of the column so phosphate buffered
saline can flow in from the top while the column is drained. (Alternatively, add
phosphate buffered saline to the space on top of the column by hand as the level
goes down.)
205
6.
Drain the column slowly, carefully controlling the flow with the drain stopcock
so that phosphate buffered saline flows in from the reservoir. Separation starts
immediately. Free dye remains at the top of the column, while the conjugate
band moves rapidly down the column.
7.
Collect the conjugate in a small beaker. (It comes through with a high degree
of purity. A fraction collector is not needed, since the coloured conjugate band
is easily seen.) The process is shown in Figure 9.2.
8.
If necessary, the conjugate can be concentrated.
Note: the column can be reused if the top layer of gel containing free dye is
removed and/or the remaining dye is eluted with phosphate buffered saline. When
the Sephadex column is not in use, add 0.01% w/v sodium azide to the phosphate
buffered saline in it as a preservative.
9.5.2 Dialysis
Purpose
Dialysis of a newly prepared conjugate to remove unreacted fluorochrome.
Approach
The newly prepared conjugate is dialysed against multiple changes of phosphate
buffered saline.
Materials
Dialysis tank (large beaker).
Stirring device (magnetic or mechanical).
Refrigerator.
Dialysis tubing.
Conjugate.
Pipette, 510 mL.
206
Method
1.
Fill the dialysis tank with phosphate buffered saline. Place it on a stirring device
(magnetic bar stirrer preferred). Cool these in the refrigerator.
2.
Soak a length of dialysis tubing in phosphate buffered saline for several hours.
(The tubing should be about 20% longer than needed to hold the volume of
conjugate.)
3.
Tie two knots in succession in one end of the wet dialysis tubing.
4.
Pipette the newly prepared fluorescent antibody conjugate into the dialysis
tubing.
Note: to prevent conjugate loss in case of filling problems, do the pipetting into the dialysis tubing
over an empty beaker.
5.
Tie two knots in succession in the top end of the dialysis tubing.
Note: leave empty space between the conjugate and the knots, as the liquid volume in the dialysis
tubing will increase during dialysis.
6.
Dialyse the conjugate in the dialysis tubing in the phosphate buffered saline
bath while stirring the bath in the refrigerator. (The dialysis bag can be secured
with a string to a bar across the top of the bath to prevent it being drawn into
the turning magnet.)
7.
Replace the phosphate buffered saline in the bath two or three times daily for
the first few days of dialysing, and thereafter daily.
8.
Test the dialysate in the bath with an ultraviolet light source in a dark room to
observe fluorescence. The dialysis is finished when fluorescence can no longer
be seen in the dialysate after 23 hours of dialysis.
9.
Remove the dialysed conjugate from the dialysis bag by cutting the bottom of
the bag with scissors over an empty beaker.
10. Centrifuge the conjugate to remove any trace of precipitate.

11. Preserve the conjugate with merthiolate, 1:10 000 final concentration.
12. Store the conjugate at 04 C.
207
9.6 Preventing non-specific staining

In fluorescent antibody preparations, any fluorescence that is not specific to
the antigen under study is called non-specific staining. Non-specific staining is
most often seen in fluorescent antibody studies of tissue sections, tissue cultures,
and certain clinical specimens containing much cellular and mucoid material like
purulent cerebrospinal fluid, sputum or nasopharyngeal secretions. Sometimes nonspecific staining is strong enough to obscure weak specific fluorescent antibody
fluorescence. The main sources of non-specific fluorescence are:
natural fluorescence in the specimen (for example, protein in tissue sections)
unreacted free fluorochrome dye in the conjugate
non-antibody conjugated serum proteins in the conjugate
heterologous (other) conjugated antibodies in the conjugate
leukocyte (granulocyte and histiocyte) primary fluorescence.
The causes of non-specific staining in fluorescent antibody preparations are

complex (see Nairn RC, ed., 1976). Some leukocytes, particularly granulocytes
and histiocytes, exhibit natural fluorescence. At times, this makes it difficult to
see fluorescent antibody stained antigens of infecting agents that may be in these
cells.
Various methods of treatment of specimens and conjugates are used to reduce
or even eliminate non-specific staining. In most cases, non-specific staining can
be controlled sufficiently to allow satisfactory examination of specimens and clear
showing of specific fluorescent antibody fluorescence. The methods commonly
used to eliminate or control non-specific fluorescent antibody staining are:
removing unreacted dye from the conjugate
using purified, specific antibody to make the conjugate
absorbing conjugates or antisera with heterologous antigen
pre-treating specimens with chemicals
pre-treating specimens with enzymes
absorbing conjugates with tissue powder
208
counterstaining specimens.
Protein fluorescence. When excited by UV light or violet light at about 460

nm, protein in tissues fluoresces blue. This is usually a low-level fluorescence, but
it may obscure weak FITC fluorescence of specific antigen in a specimen. It can be
avoided by using excitation light above 460 nm with interference filters. Since the
maximum absorbance of the most important fluorochromes, FITC, acridine orange,
and auramine O is in the 480495 nm range, this problem is easily overcome.
However, blue background non-specific staining also can be helpful. In some
situations, this primary blue fluorescence of tissues can help locate the fields of
view in some specimens.
Unreacted dye in the conjugate. Early in the use of fluorescent antibody,
non-specific staining by unreacted free fluorochrome in the conjugate was a major
problem. Dialysis after conjugation did not remove all the unreacted dye. With the
use of gel filtration with Sephadex or Biogel to purify the conjugates of unreacted
dye, this problem is solved.
Non-antibody conjugated serum proteins. Antibody should be as pure and
specific as possible to make conjugates for use in fluorescent antibody tests. The
sensitivity of fluorescent antibody is very high, so small impurities in the conjugate
can cause non-specific staining. Using gamma globulin fractions to make conjugates
instead of whole serum is helpful, and it makes more economic use of expensive
fluorochromes.
Heterologous conjugated antibodies. Antibodies to antigens other than the
one of interest may be in the gamma globulin fractions of polyclonal antisera.
Also, organisms closely related to the one of concern may show cross-reactions.
Absorption of the conjugate with heterologous antigens may remove non-specific
staining and leave the specific stain reactions in place. For example, cross-reactions
between E. coli and Shigella may be removed from an anti-Shigella conjugate by
suspending about 0.1 mL of packed and washed E. coli cells in an anti-Shigella
fluorescent antibody conjugate, incubating for a period, and removing the cells by
centrifugation. If the organisms are antigenically similar, this may reduce both nonspecific and specific staining, but sufficient specific fluorescent antibody staining
should remain to give satisfactory fluorescent antibody tests. Monoclonal antibodies
are very pure and specific and can be used in fluorescent antibody systems. They
209
can be used to make conjugates for direct fluorescent antibody or for the specific
antibody when doing indirect fluorescent antibody tests.
Chemical pre-treatment. Treating specimens with certain chemicals prior to
staining with fluorescent antibody conjugates often reduces non-specific staining.
Direct examination of fluorescent antibody stained respiratory specimens is often
hampered by non-specific fluorescence. The mucolytic agents dithiothreitol and
N-acetylcysteine are used for chemical pre-treatment, as well as dilute formalin
(see Sections 9.6.1. and 9.6.2).
Enzyme pre-treatment. Pre-treatment of specimens like tissue sections or tissue
cultures with certain enzymes can reduce or eliminate non-specific staining. The
enzyme most commonly used is trypsin, but protease, pronase, pepsin and papain
also have been used. Papain met with limited success and is seldom used.
Additionally, enzymes are instrumental in unmasking antigens of
microorganisms in formalin-fixed tissues or tissue cultures, especially formalinfixed tissues preserved in paraffin blocks. Enzymes can even enhance fluorescent
antibody reactions in sections from these specimens. This approach has been
successful for a variety of antigens, such as viruses, fungi, and protozoan parasites.
While mild enzyme treatment does reduce or remove non-specific staining from
tissue sections and other specimens, its more important role is to unmask antigens
of infectious agents in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues and formalin-fixed
tissue cultures. For details of enzyme treatment, see Section 9.1.
9.6.1 N-acetylcysteine pretreatment of respiratory specimens
Purpose
Reduction of non-specific staining by mucus and clumped respiratory cells to detect
virus infection.
Materials
Sputum.
Viruses used (others may be also successful):
respiratory syncytial virus
influenza A and B viruses
210
parainfluenza viruses
adenovirus.
Reagents
N-acetylcysteine solution (NAC):
N-acetylcysteine, 0.5g
Sodium citrate, 1.5g
H2O, distilled, 100 mL.
Saline, 0.15 M, sterile:
NaCl
, 0.88g
H2O,
100 mL.
Eagle minimal essential medium (EMEM).

Method
1.
Collect a sputum specimen or nasopharyngeal washings.
2.
Dilute the specimen 1:5 in saline solution. Mix as well as possible.
3.
Mix the diluted specimen with an equal volume of NAC.
4.
Agitate this mixture for 20 seconds, preferably on a mechanical mixer.
5.
Incubate the mixture at room temperature for 20 minutes.
6.
Mix the suspension again.
7.
Centrifuge the mixture at about 150g for 5 to 10 minutes.
8.
Remove and discard the supernatant liquid.
9.
Suspend the pellet in about 0.2 mL of EMEM. (If this is not available, use
saline.)
10. Prepare a slide smear from the pellet suspension and air-dry it.
11. Fix the slide smear in acetone, room temperature, 20 minutes.
12. Stain the fixed smear by direct or indirect fluorescent antibody for the virus.
211
13. Examine the stained smear by epi-fluorescence microscopy.

Result
Separated cells should be seen, and background fluorescence should be minimal.
9.6.2 Sodium nitrite treatment of tissue cultures
Purpose
Reduction of non-specific staining in virus-infected tissue cultures.
Materials
Specimen: tissue culture (for example: HeLa cells).
Reagents
Sodium nitrite solution, 1%
Sodium nitrite, 1 g
Acetic acid, glacial, 2 mL
Fluorescent antibody conjugate (anti-virus).
Method
1.
React the acetone-fixed virustissue culture with the virus-specific fluorescent

antibody conjugate.
2.
Wash the tissue culture with phosphate buffered saline, and drain most of the
phosphate buffered saline. Do not allow the tissue culture to dry.
3.
Flood the tissue culture with sodium nitrite solution, and allow it to react for 30
seconds to one minute. (Longer reaction times make little or no difference.)
4.
Wash the tissue culture with phosphate buffered saline.
5.
Examine the tissue culture with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
212
9.6.3 Absorption of fluorescent antibody conjugates with tissue

powder
Purpose
Reduction of non-specific staining factors in fluorescent antibody conjugates.
Approach
Tissue powder (or tissue culture cells) is mixed with a fluorescent antibody
conjugate, and the mixture is separated by centrifugation.
Materials
Acetone dried tissue powder (tissue appropriate to the specimens to be examined
liver, brain, muscle, etc.) See Section 12, Annex13 for preparation of tissue powder.
Alternatively, use commercial tissue powder.
Centrifuge tube (plastic preferred).
Centrifuge (10 000g capability preferred).
Refrigerator.
Balance, 10 mg sensitivity.
Applicator stick.
Syringe and long needle (or Pasteur pipette with rubber bulb).
Fluorescent antibody conjugate.
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 0.1.
Method
1.
Weigh out 100 mg tissue powder for each mL of conjugate to be absorbed

(treated).
2.
Place the tissue powder in a centrifuge tube.
3.
Add phosphate buffered saline to the tissue powder, about the same volume or
a little more than that of the conjugate to be sorbed.
4.
Mix the phosphate buffered saline and tissue powder with an applicator
stick.
213
5.
Centrifuge the mixture at 10 000g for 15 minutes.
6.
Decant all the supernatant liquid.
7.
Add the conjugate to the wet tissue powder and mix it with an applicator
stick.
8.
Put the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Stir the mixture every 15
minutes.
9.
Centrifuge the mixture at 10 000g for 15 minutes.
10. Remove the absorbed conjugate from the packed tissue powder carefully. Do
not disturb the sediment (use a syringe and needle or Pasteur pipette).
11. Store the absorbed conjugate in the freezer at 20 C.
Notes:
1.
If sorbing with tissue culture cells, use 1 mL of centrifuged, packed cells per
each mL of conjugate.
2.
It is not necessary to wet the tissue culture cells with phosphate buffered saline.
More than one sorption may be necessary with some conjugates.
References
Coons AH, Kaplan MH, 1950; Nairn RC, 1969.
9.7 Counterstain
One of the ways to overcome non-specific staining is by counterstaining the
background material in a specimen. Counterstains not only cover up non-specific
staining in the specimens background, but they provide contrasting fluorescent
colour that may reveal useful specimen morphology. For fluorescent antibody
stains using FITC (yellowgreen fluorescence), the counterstain usually has a
contrasting red or orange fluorescence. However, sometimes it is brownish or even
dark grey, depending on the counterstain and the pH of the reaction system. The
most commonly used counterstains are the following:
214
Evans blue
Eriochrome black
RB 200conjugated bovine serum albumin.
Fluorescent counterstains increase contrast and reduce effects of autofluorescence

or non-specific staining. Counterstaining is done with contrasting colour
fluorochromes, usually red or orange. There are various ways to increase contrast
and reduce autofluorescence or non-specific staining of a sample, for example:
treating the preparation with a 0.01% to 0.1% w/v solution of Evans blue for
1 to 5 minutes after incubation, followed by washing with phosphate buffered
saline
treating the preparation with eriochrome black (CI 14645) used as a 1:30 or
1:60 w/v solution in distilled water for immunofluorescence of lymphocytes.
Add one drop of this solution to the preparation after the last wash procedure
and, after 10 seconds, wash it off with phosphate buffered saline
RB 200bovine serum albumin mixed with the FITC conjugate in a ratio of

1:10 to 1:20.
9.7.1 Evans blue

Evans blue is a popular counterstain for reducing non-specific staining because
it is simple to use, effective in many situations and inexpensive. It is used two ways:
as a regular counterstain added to the specimen after fluorescent antibody staining,
or be mixed with the fluorescent antibody conjugate. This is usually only done with
antispecies conjugates in indirect fluorescent antibody tests.
Concentrations of Evans blue used range from 0.001% to 2%. The dye can be
dissolved in distilled water or phosphate buffered saline. Evans blue is prepared as
a 0.5%1% stock solution, and a use dilution made from this. The stock solution
can be stored at 4 C for up to six months, or indefinitely at 20 C. It is convenient
to make and store aliquots of 15 mL of the stock solution for daily dilution for
use. The staining time used by various investigators ranges from 30 seconds to 20
minutes, and this is done at 37 C or room temperature. With such a wide range of
conditions reported in the literature, it is obvious that different test systems need
215
different concentrations and titres. Each investigator should experiment with Evans
blue counterstain to find the most suitable conditions for the system under study.
Evans blue in conjugate
Materials
Anti-virus antiserum (bovine origin).
Anti-bovine conjugate with 0.005% Evans blue.
Virus-containing specimen (smear, tissue culture, tissue).
Phosphate buffered saline.
Method
1.
Make a slide smear with the specimen, and fix it.
2.
Cover the smear with antiserum and incubate it.
3.
Wash the smear with phosphate buffered saline.
4.
React the smear with antispecies conjugate containing Evans blue, 30 minutes
at 37 C.
5.
Wash the stained smear in multiple changes of phosphate buffered saline and
finally, water.
6.
Mount a cover glass on the smear.
7.
Examine it with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
Evans blue as a counterstain

Materials
Specimen containing antigen.
Fluorescent antibody conjugate.
Evans blue (0.1% in phosphate buffered saline).
Buffered glycerol mounting medium.
216
Method
1.
Fix the specimen on a slide.
2.
Stain the specimen on the slide with fluorescent antibody conjugate.
3.
Wash the slide in several changes of phosphate buffered saline.
4.
Cover the slide specimen with Evans blue counterstain, 5 minutes.
5.
Wash the slide specimen in several changes of phosphate buffered saline.
6.
Mount a cover glass on the specimen.
7.
Examine the specimen with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
9.7.2 Eriochrome black

Eriochrome black is an excellent counterstain to reduce or eliminate nonspecific staining in fluorescent antibody-stained tissue sections or other specimens.
It appears to work in two ways. It stains the background pink, red, reddish brown,
or light brown depending on the tissue and system involved. It also appears to
quench the background non-specific staining by some mechanism that is not
understood. At the same time, Eriochrome black has no effect on specific fluorescent
antibodyFITC staining, unlike other counterstains such as Evans blue and RB
200bovine serum albumin, which do exert some masking or suppressing effect on
weak specific fluorescent antibody staining.
Some of the Eriochrome black counterstaining conditions reported by various
investigators are in the following table:
Antigen
Specimen
Dilution
Time
Temperature
Bacteria
Tissue culture
3% in H2O
20 minutes
Room
Virus
Tissue section
Clinical specimen
3% in H2O
3% in H2O
20 minutes
20 minutes
Room
Room
Protozoa
Blood
1% in PBS
5 minutes
Room
Slide smear
2% in H2O
3 minutes
Room
Tissue section
2% in H2O
to 1 minute
Room
Bacteria
Tissue section
in H2O
0.3%0.7%
(not critical)
10 seconds
Room
Blood vessel collagen
Tissue section
0.3% in PBS
5 minutes
Room
Fungi
Tissue section
0.4% in H2O
3 minutes
Room
Bacteria
217
Eriochrome black can be used before or after staining tissue or specimens with
specific fluorescent antibody-FITC conjugates. It is not mixed with the fluorescent
antibody conjugate. Eriochrome black can be used in a wide range of concentrations
from 0.3% to 3%, dissolved in either distilled water or phosphate buffered saline.
The staining reaction is stopped by washing the Eriochrome black-stained
material with excess phosphate buffered saline. Cover glasses are mounted in
buffered glycerine, pH 7.49.0, depending on the system. Each investigator must
test this.
9.7.3 RB 200bovine serum albumin
RB 200bovine serum albumin is a conjugate of bovine serum albumin and
the fluorochrome Lissamine-Rhodamine RB 200. Use it mixed with the specific
fluorescent antibody conjugate at a 1:20 or 1:30 ratio. When the specimen is stained
with the conjugate, the target antigen and its background are stained at the same
time. (See Section 9.4.2 for conjugation of RB 200 with bovine serum albumin.)
9.7.4 Brilliant cresyl blue counterstain
Brilliant cresyl blue has been used successfully as a fluorescent counterstain
for fluorescent antibody studies of cell populations. Potworowski and Nairn (1967)
used it in an indirect fluorescent antibody (sandwich) technique to differentiate
thymus cells in an aqueous suspension. Brilliant cresyl blue is used as a 0.02%
(1:5000) solution in phosphate buffered saline as the final wash in the staining
procedure. Cells not stained by the FITC conjugate are stained to give a reddish
fluorescence. This helps assure that all cells in a preparation can be seen.
9.8 Immunohistochemical staining of pre-stained tissue

sections
Sometimes it is important to do retrospective studies to find the true etiology
of a disease. It is a routine procedure to collect tissue samples from biopsies and
autopsies for histopathology study. These show tissue and cellular changes, but they
218
seldom specifically identify etiological agents. Fluorescent antibody can do this.

In certain circumstances, fluorescent antibody can stain conventionally treated and
stained histological slide sections. Enzymatic digestion of tissue sections allows
this to be done.
Slides of tissue sections stained by the following methods can be used:
haematoxylin and eosin
Giemsa
Brown and Brenn.
Tissues stained with most other histological stains are not satisfactory for
immunofluorescence microscopy following the initial staining.
Method
1.
Heat the slide gently over a Bunsen burner to soften the mounting medium.
2.
Remove the cover glass carefully with a toothpick.
3.
Dissolve and remove the mounting medium with xylene. Two changes and
gentle agitation may be needed.
4.
Rehydrate the slide through an ethanol series; 3 minutes each in 95%, 90%,
85%, 80%, 70% ethanol, and water.
5.
Treat the slide with acid alcohol (97 mL of ethanol 95%, 3 mL of concentrated
HCl), 30 seconds.
6.
Place the slide in phosphate buffered saline, two changes, 30 minutes each.
7.
Digest with trypsin 1%, and proceed with fluorescent antibody staining.
Note: this methood assumes that the tissue section is mounted on the slide with an
effective adhesive.
Reference
Gordon MA, Lapa EW, 1984.
219
9.9 Unmasking antigens in formaldehyde-fixed paraffinembedded tissues

Early in fluorescent antibody studies, antigens of microorganisms were
localized in tissues. However, most antigens are difficult to stain by fluorescent
antibody in conventional formalin-fixed tissues. The antigenicity of many antigens
fixed by formalin is altered to the point that fluorescent antibody tests cannot detect
them, while others yield very weak specific fluorescence. Formalin fixation affects
antigenic determinants by changing amino groups and protein cross-linking. Thus,
receptors for fluorescent antibodies are altered. This is the reason for difficulties in
fluorescent antibody staining of formalin-fixed tissues.
Investigators used fresh or frozen cryostat-cut tissue sections in order to detect
microbial antigens in these tissues. However, there are disadvantages to using fresh
or frozen tissue sections. Some of these are:
morphological features may be lost
cell types may be obscured
distribution of intracellular antigens may be unclear
definition of inclusions, intracellular and intranuclear, cannot be made
affected tissue areas in small specimens may be missed
infectious hazards to laboratory workers may come from unfixed specimens
shipping tissues frozen or on ice is difficult in many places
storage problems limit retrospective studies
special frozen section cutting equipment and skills are needed.
Enzymatic digestion of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues unmasks

antigens of microorganisms in the tissues and makes them reactive in fluorescent
antibody tests. The enzymes commonly used are:
trypsin
protease (Pronase, Nagarase)
pepsin.
220
Note: enzymes are heat labile. Stock solutions should be stored frozen at
20 C; use solutions at 4 C.
Various investigators used protease to unmask fluorescence. Pronase, a
protease obtained from Streptomyces griseus, enhances fluorescence. Pronase is
a non-specific protease. For that reason, some investigators preferred the gentler
trypsin (Huang, 1976). Protease Type VII: Bacterial is no longer available, but
new replacement proteases exist. One is Sigma Type XXVII Nagarase, consistent
with material offered before 1975. Material offered after 1975 is consistent with
Sigma Type XXIV: Bacterial. Investigators wishing to replicate results from the
literature before and after 1975 should use these new proteases.
Gentle digestion with trypsin is by far the most commonly used method today.
Working solutions vary from 0.0625% to 1.0%, most being from 0.1% to 0.25%.
Thus, the concentration is not very critical, except for deep fungal infections where
1% trypsin digestion is used. However, trypsin alone is not best for all antigens.
Sometimes a combination of enzymes is used, such as trypsin and pepsin.
Formaldehyde treatment followed by paraffin embedding preserves antigens
very well. Using enzyme digestion of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks of
tissues, many antigens were easily detectable by fluorescent antibody after 1020
years of storage. Indeed, Korean haemorrhagic fever virus was detected after 31
years of such storage.
Conditions of enzymatic digestion of formalin-fixed tissue sections vary
considerably. Basic formaldehyde fixation of tissues and some successful methods
are outlined below.
9.9.1 Basic formadehyde fixation and processing of tissues
Purpose
Preparation of fixed specimens in paraffin for fluorescence microscopy.
Approach
Small tissue blocks or biopsy specimens are fixed in buffered formalin, dehydrated,
cleared, infused with melted paraffin and sectioned on a microtome.
221
Materials
Microtome.
Oven.
Refrigerator or cold plate.
Flotation water bath, 44 C (or up to 56 C).
Oven, 60 C.
Laboratory tools: scalpel, forceps, scissors, etc.
Formalin, 10% (4% formaldehyde) in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.27.4.
Ethanol, absolute (100%).
Ethanol series , 95%, 80%, 70%, 50%.
Chloroform.
Note: xylene may be substituted for chloroform.
Xylene.
Liquid paraffin, 60 C.
Tissue specimen (caution: this may contain infectious agents).
Method
1.
Take an appropriate tissue specimen for the antigen or disease to be studied.
2.
Place a small block of it in buffered 10% formalin. Blocks of 2 4 4 mm are

suggested.
3.
Allow the formalin to act on the tissue for at least 2 days.

Note: various authors recommend 3 to 10 days for tissues containing rabies virus, 3 days for
adenovirus and 2 days for Chlamydia psittaciinfected tissue.
4.
Dehydrate the formalin-fixed tissue specimen through a graded ethanol series

and clearing agents:
70% ethanol, 1 hour
80% ethanol, 1 hour
222
95% ethanol, 2 changes, 1 hour each

absolute ethanol, 2 changes, 1 hour each
absolute ethanol + chloroform, equal parts, 1 hour
chloroform, 2 changes, 1 hour each.
5.
Embed the processed tissue in paraffin at 60 C.
6.
Harden the paraffin block in the refrigerator or on a cold plate.
7.
Cut sections of the paraffin-embedded tissue on a microtome. Depending on

the antigen under study, these can be 29 m thick.
8.
Float a tissue section onto a slide from a tissue flotation water bath at 44
56 C.
9.
Dry the section on the slide at 60 C for 20 minutes to several hours.
10. Deparaffinize the sections in two changes of xylene, 3 minutes each.

11. Rehydrate the sections by passing them through two changes each of absolute
ethanol, 95%, 80% and 50% ethanol and water.
12. Place the slide section in phosphate buffered saline.
13. Proceed with enzyme digestion and fluorescent antibody staining.
Note: laboratories may wish to vary this general method based on their
experience.
9.9.2 Trypsin (0.25%) digestion of formaldehyde treated tissue
sections
Purpose
Enzyme digestion of formaldehyde treated tissue sections to unmask antigenic sites
for fluorescent antibody tests.
Approach
Trypsin, 0.25%, is used to unmask a variety of virus antigens in formalin-fixed
paraffin-embedded tissue sections for detection by indirect fluorescent antibody.
223
Materials
Incubator, 37 C
Tissue section flotation water bath, about 56 C
Tissue sections, deparaffinized and rehydrated.
Antisera to viruses, inactivated at 56 C, 30 minutes.
Anti-species globulin conjugate.
Trypsin solution (store at 4 C or frozen).
Trypsin (1:250) 0.25% solution in water.
Note : The ratio 1:250 indicates that 1 part of trypsin digests 250 parts of casein under the conditions of
the USP test.
Ethanol series 95%, 80%, 70%, 50%.

Chloroform.
CaCl2, 0.02 g.
Method
1.
Coat slides with a suitable adhesive.
2.
Float tissue sections (23 m thick) on a 5557 C water bath, and pick them
up on the slides.
3.
Dry the tissue section slides at 37 C for 24 hours.
4.
Remove the paraffin with several changes of xylene.
5.
Rehydrate the sections in an ethanol series from 95% down to water.
6.
Wash the slides in phosphate buffered saline and distilled water, 5 minutes
each.
7.
Digest the tissue on the slide with 0.25% trypsin solution, 37 C, 3 hours (a
Petri dish or coplin jar may be used).
8.
Rinse the slides in phosphate buffered saline, 15 minutes.
9.
Stain the slides by direct or indirect fluorescent antibody.
224
10. Examine the slides for specific virus fluorescence with an epi-illumination
fluorescence microscope.
Notes
1.
Fixation in 10% formalin for about 7 days is best. Fixation of the tissue for a
year in formalin makes the viral antigens more difficult to detect.
2.
Viral antigens in tissues fixed for the shorter period above and then embedded
in paraffin retain their ability to be unmasked by trypsin digestion for many
years.
3.
This approach has been used for many viruses. Details vary for time of fixation,
type of virus and length of storage. Each investigator must work out the details
for the system under study.
4.
Formalin fixation kills many viruses, but for the most dangerous viruses (for
example, Lassa, Ebola, Marburg, CrimeanCongo, Rift Valley fever, and
Hanta), investigators must make sure of complete inactivation by using gamma
radiation of tissue sections or spot smears on slides. -propiolactone treatment
may also be used.
References
Hondo R et al., 1982; Kurata T et al., 1983; Swoveland PT, Johnson KP, 1979.
9.9.3 Trypsin (1%) digestion of formaldehyde treated tissue sections
Approach
Fungi causing deep mycoses are detected in formalin-fixed tissues after 1.0%
trypsin digestion.
Materials
Tissue sections containing fungus cells.
Tissue section flotation water bath, about 56 C.
Trypsin (1:250) 1.0% solution in water (see Section 12, Annex 13)
Screwcap freezer vials, 10 mL.
225
Freezer, 20 C.
Centrifuge, refrigerated; 3500g capability.
Epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
Ethanol series, 95%, 80%, 70%, 50%
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7,6 - 7,7 (see Section 12, Annex 13)
Method
1.
Float a paraffin section on to a slide treated with Elmers Glue-All glue.
2.
Deparaffinize tissue sections on slides, and rehydrate them through an ethanol

series to water.
3.
Dip the slide into phosphate buffered saline, and then soak it in two changes
of phosphate buffered saline, 30 minutes each.
4.
Immerse the slide in 1% trypsin solution, 30 minutes, in a 37 C water bath.
5.
Drain the slide, and gently heat-fix it in a flame or on a slide warmer to stop
the trypsin digestion.
6.
Stain the slide with an FITC conjugate (counterstains such as Eriochrome black
may be used to quench non-specific staining).
7.
Mount a cover glass on the slide in buffered glycerol, pH 9.0.
8.
Examine the slide with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
Reference
Gordon MA, Lapa EW, 1984.
9.9.4 Pepsin and trypsin digestion of formaldehyde treated tissue
sections
Approach
Rabies virus antigen in brain tissue is unmasked by pepsin and trypsin digestion.
226
Materials
Tissue section, formaldehyde-fixed and paraffin-embedded (fixation with 10%
neutral formalin for 10 days).
Xylene.
Ethanol.
Phosphate buffered saline (Ca2+ free, Mg2+ free), 0.1 M, pH 7.6.
Trypsin 0.25% and 0.1% CaCl2 in distilled water.
Pepsin 0.4% in distilled water.
Anti-rabies fluorescent antibody conjugate.
Method
1.
Mount the tissue section on a slide. (Float it on from a flotation water bath at
about 56 C. An adhesive substance may be used to stick the tissue section to
the slide.)
Note: Histostix coating is used as an adhesive on the slide, and the slide is dried at 60 C, 24 hours.
Elmers Glue-All also may be used as an adhesive if not too thin or too thick.
2.
Dry the slide for 24 hours at 60 C.
3.
Deparaffinize the section with xylene.
4.
Rehydrate the section in a graded ethanol series.
5.
Rinse the section in phosphate buffered saline, 510 minutes.
6.
Digest the section in pepsin solution, 0.4%, 1 hour, room temperature.
7.
Digest the section in trypsin solution, 0.25%, 90 minutes, room temperature.
8.
Wash the digested section in phosphate buffered saline, 30 minutes.
9.
Stain the section with anti-rabies conjugate, wash it in phosphate buffered

saline and mount a cover glass on it with buffered glycerine, pH 8.59.0.
Note: onjugate is used at 4 the normal staining titre to get 4+ fluorescence.
10. Observe the section with an epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
227
Notes
1.
This test method is not recommended to replace the standard direct fluorescent
antibody test done on fresh tissues for rabies diagnosis. However, it may be
useful in retrospective studies of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues,
or it may help make diagnoses when there is no fresh brain specimen to test.
Sometimes shipment of brain tissue in ice is not possible. Formalin fixation
can be used in these situations.
2.
This approach may be useful in studies of other viral diseases like encephalitis
when single enzymatic digestion is not successful.
References
Reid FL et al., 1983; Brozman M, 1978; Enestrom S et al., 1980.
9.9.5 Protease type XXVII digestion of formaldehyde fixed tissue
sections
Approach
Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections are pretreated with protease in
order to reduce non-specific staining and enhance specific fluorescent antibody
fluorescence.
Materials
Tissue with target antigen in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded liver biopsy
specimens. (Antigens were hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] and hepatitis B
core antigen [HBcAg].)
Xylene.
Ethanol.
Nagarase (Sigma).
Protease type XXVII (Sigma), 0.1%, pH 7.4 in distilled water.
Tissue flotation water bath, 56 C.
228
Fluorescent antibody reagents specific for HBsAg and HBcAg.

Fluorescent antibody supplies and equipment.
Method
1.
Cut tissue into 4 m sections, and float the sections on to slides. Use slide
adhesive to hold them on the slides during the digestion process.
Note: Histostix or Elmers Glue-All may be used. See Section 9.11.
2.
Dry the sections on the slides at 60 C, 1 hour.
3.
Remove the paraffin with several changes of xylene.
4.
Rehydrate the sections through an ethanol series to water.
5.
Incubate the slides in the protease solution, 37 C for 1 hour.
6.
Wash the slides in phosphate buffered saline, several changes.
7.
Drain the slides, but do not allow them to completely dry.
8.
Stain the slides with specific fluorescent antibody by standard methods. Use
either direct or indirect fluorescent antibody test methods.
9.
Observe the slides with epi-illumination fluorescence microscope.
References
Huang S, 1975; Huang S et al., 1976; Radaszkiewicz T et al., 1979.
9.10 Storage of reagents, conjugates, antisera, and blood

serum specimens
Immunological reagents must neither change their properties nor cause
cleavage of antibodies or antigens. Use a particular method for storage, and keep
the conditions constant as much as possible. Long-term storage of all serological
reagents should be at 20 C or lower. Repeated freezing and thawing results in a
reduction of antibody activity. To avoid this, appropriate small quantities (aliquots)
of conjugates, positive controls and negative controls should be kept frozen. The
amount in each vial should be chosen to be consistent with normal use.
229
Antibody conjugates. A conjugate, such as FITCanti-human IgG, should be

dispensed in volumes of 100 mL in Eppendorff tubes and frozen. Immediately
before use, a tube is taken from the deep freeze, thawed and diluted to the working
concentration, e.g. 1:40, with phosphate buffered saline. Four mL of conjugate are
sufficient for 40 tissue sections.
Positive controls. Serum containing antimitochondrial antibodies (titre =
1:800) is diluted 1:10 with phosphate buffered saline, and then frozen in 0.05 mL
aliquots. Before use, 0.95 mL phosphate buffered saline is added to result in an
initial dilution of 1:200. Serial dilutions of 1:200, 1:400, 1:800 and 1:1600 are made
and used as positive controls.
Negative controls. A negative control such as normal serum is kept frozen,
without dilution, in 0.05 mL aliquots. The control must be diluted 1:20 by addition
of 0.95 mL phosphate buffered saline.
Patient serum. This specimen should not contain products of haemolysis. The
samples are frozen in volumes between 0.5 and 10 mL. Each tube or container
should be marked with an ID number and entered in a sample register.
Centrifugation may be necessary after thawing to separate impurities or
precipitated protein.
9.11 Sticking tissue sections to slides

Sometimes it is difficult to make tissue sections adhere to slides during
histological processing, especially during enzyme digestion of formalin-fixed
sections. A number of adhesives have been recommended to solve this problem.
These are:
collodion in ether
Histostix
Neoprene in toluene
gelatin-coated slides
Elmers Glue-All (casein glue)
LePage Bondfast (resin glue).
230
Adhering tissue sections to slides that are going through lengthy digestion
and staining procedures is a problem. When the tissue section slips off the slide,
the procedure usually must start again, beginning with cutting new tissue sections.
Sometimes this is critical because only very small tissue specimens are available.
Because of this, many investigators put forward a variety of ways to stick paraffinembedded tissue sections to slides.
Few comparisons have been made among these methods. Gordon and Lapa
(1983) report that Histostix performed as well as did their Elmers Glue-All
method. However, Reid et al. (1983) reported difficulties with the Elmers Glue-All
method. In their hands, too little glue on the slide was ineffective, while too much
glue gave excessive autofluorescence. Phenolgelatin solution, another method,
sometimes would not hold the tissues on the slides. They indicated routine success
with Histostix. The methods using the flammable solvents ether and toluene present
laboratory hazards that might better be avoided. If others can confirm it, the simple
LePage Bondfast method seems satisfactory for most tissues, as the glue is simply
applied with no special preparation and is non-fluorescent.
Since there is little agreement as to which method is best, investigators wishing
to do this work must experiment and choose the method that is most suitable in
their hands.
Collodion treatment
Materials
Collodion, 0.83 mL.
Ether, 10 mL.
Method
1.
Place the tissue section on the slide.
2.
Cover the section with collodion solution.
CAUTION: this solution is highly flammable, and the fumes are potentially
explosive. Avoid open flames and electrical sparks. Store ether in a well
stoppered container only in an explosion-proof refrigerator.
231
Histostix treatment
Material
Histostix (Accurate Chemical and Scientific Corp., Westbury, New York).
Method
1.
Coat the slide with Histostix according to the manufacturers directions.
2.
Mount the tissue section on the slide from a tissue flotation water bath.
3.
Dry the mounted tissue section at 60 C, 24 hours.
Neoprene in toluene treatment

Materials
Neoprene (polychloroprene), 0.1 g.
Toluene, 100 mL.
Method
1.
Coat the slide with neoprenetoluene by dipping it in the solution.
2.
Dry the coated slide for 30 minutes at room temperature.
3.
Place the tissue sections in a flotation water bath, 5557 C.
4.
Float the tissue section on to the slide.
5.
Dry the tissue section on the slide at 37 C, 24 hours or more.
CAUTION. Toluene is flammable. Avoid flames.

Gelatin coating
Materials
Gelatin (laboratory grade), 5 g.
H2O, distilled, hot, 800 mL.
Chromic potassium sulfate, 0.5 g.
232
Method
1.
Dissolve the gelatin in hot distilled water.
2.
Add the chromic potassium sulfate.
3.
Filter the solution through filter paper.
4.
Dip slides in the solution several times.
5.
Drain the slides, and dry them at room temperature in a vertical position.
6.
Mount the tissue sections on the gelatin-coated slides from a flotation

water bath.
7.
Incubate mounted tissue sections at 56 C, overnight.
Elmers Glue-All coating

Materials
Elmers Glue-All (Borden, Inc.), 4 drops.
H2O, deionized, sterile, 2 mL.
Method
1.
Add the Elmers Glue-All to the water.
2.
Mix the solution thoroughly.
3.
Coat a slide lightly. Use a brush or finger.
4.
Float a paraffin-embedded tissue section onto the slide.
5.
Dry the section on the slide at 37 C, overnight.
LePage Bondfast glue coating

Material
LePage Bondfast resin glue
Method
1.
Preclean the slide to remove any oil residue.
2.
Smear the glue on the face of the slide thinly. Use a water-wetted finger.
233
3.
Immediately, float the paraffin-embedded tissue section onto the slide from
a 5557 C water bath.
4.
Drain excess water from the tissue section on the slide.
5.
Dry the tissue section slide at 60 C, 1 hour.
10. Characterization of antisera and

conjugates
Using conjugates having the same specificity and similar properties is essential
for reproducible and comparable results. Appropriate reference antigens and
antisera must be available in order to make standardization possible. Also, there
must be a consensus on the methods of analysis.
False negative and false positive results occur because the antigen substrates,
antibodies, methods and microscope may not be suitable or the investigator may not
have sufficient experience. False negative results can be recognized only when
known pure antigen and antibody standards or references are available for testing.
False positive results may occur for reasons that are not clear. A true positive result
with tissues or microorganisms is recognizable by structure-specific fluorescence
of the correct colour, with faint or non-fluorescent negative controls. For example,
the morphology or anatomy of microorganisms or tissues should be recognizable in
a colour that is typical for the fluorochrome being used. In some cases, a conclusion
as to whether the result is positive or negative may be difficult or impossible to reach
because of unwanted or background fluorescence.
10.1 Methods for characterizing conjugates

10.1.1 Assessment of free dye in the conjugate
Purpose
Detection of unreacted dye after purification of a conjugate (see Section 9.5.1)
that could cause non-specific staining.
236
Approach
Thin-layer chromatography of the conjugate is done in miniature on a microscope
slide.
Materials
Conjugate.
Sephadex G-25 or G-50.
Microscope slide.
Petri dishes (2).
Filter paper strips, 25 mm 75 mm (2).
Micropipette.
Method
1.
Suspend Sephadex G-25 or G-50 in phosphate buffered saline and allow it to

sediment for about 15 minutes.
2.
Remove the supernatant liquid.
3.
Spread a drop of the concentrated Sephadex suspension as a thin layer on a

microscope slide.
4.
Place the slide on the edges of two Petri dishes, one beside and above the other,
making a slope of 10 to 20.
5.
Use strips of filter paper to connect the layer of gel on the slide with the two
Petri dishes.
6.
Fill the higher of the two dishes with phosphate buffered saline.
7.
Wait 3 minutes.
8.
Apply a few microlitres of the conjugate to the gel layer, approximately 1 cm

from its upper end.
9.
Observe the result after about 20 minutes. The labelled antibody will have
moved down the slide a few centimetres, but any free dye will stay at the
Characterization of antisera and conjugates
237
application point. If free dye remains, it must be removed by gel filtration.

(Usually the conjugate has already been passed through a Sephadex gel
column, so a free dye result is unlikely.)
10.1.2 Assessment of the fluorescein/protein ratio of FITC
conjugates
Measurement of the molar concentration of protein-bound FITC is difficult
because the absorption maxima of the dye change when FITC is coupled to protein.
Differences in dye quality cause additional problems. This explains why different
procedures have been used for determining the fluorescein/protein ratio.
Measuring protein concentration
Approach
Use pure bovine serum albumin or a standard protein solution as a reference to
determine the protein concentration (mg/mL). The choice of method may be
influenced by the concentration of the protein, the presence of interfering
substances and the absorption method. The absorption maxima used for the test
should not interfere with, or be interfered by, the fluorochrome. The following
wavelengths are suitable for quantitative work:
Biuret
540560 nm
LowryFolin 500 nm.

Measuring protein-bound FITC
Approach
FITC concentration is measured by spectrophotometry using fluorescein diacetate.
This compound is used as the standard because FITC is unstable in solution.
Materials
Spectrophotometer.
Water bath.
238
500 mL volumetric flask.

Polyethylene bottles, 1025 mL.
Method
Preparing FDA standard solution (100 mg/L)
1.
Add 3 g of NaOH to 40 mL 95% ethanol under reflux while stirring in a

boiling water bath.
2.
Decant the solution from excess NaOH that does not dissolve.
3.
Add 50 mg FDA to 25 mL of the hot alcoholic NaOH solution.
4.
Heat the alcoholic NaOH stock solution (25 mL) and the FDA (50 mg) in
a water bath until all the FDA has dissolved, then cool the solution to room
temperature.
5.
Transfer the FDA solution to a 500 mL volumetric flask, after first washing
the flask with distilled water.
6.
Make the solution up to 500 mL with distilled water.
This stock solution contains 10 mg FDA/100 mL, i.e.100 g/mL. It can be

stored in the refrigerator (cool and dark) for up to two years in small
polyethylene bottles of suitable size to prepare dilutions for use.
Preparing an FDA standard curve
1.
Dilute the FDA stock solution with NaOH, 0.1 N, to give final FDA
concentrations in the range 14 g/mL (for example, diluted 1:100 = 1 g/
mL; 1:50 = 2 g/mL; 1:25 = 4 g/mL).
2.
Measure the extinction at 490 nm for each standard dilution, using 0.1 N
NaOH in the reference cuvette (10 mm glass).
3.
Convert the FDA concentrations to FITC concentrations by multiplying by

1.07, as a correction factor, for the lower extinction coefficient of FITC.
4.
Plot the values to prepare a calibration curve (Figure 10.1).
239
Figure 10.1 Change of optical density (OD) of a fluorescein diacetate (FDA)

standard at different concentrations
Determination of the amount of FITC in the conjugate

Only FITC concentrations between 1 mg/mL and 6 mg/mL can be measured
accurately. Therefore, protein solutions must be diluted. For example, with a protein
content of 30 g/mL (3% w/v) and based on a mean value for the fluorescein/protein
ratio, the expected value for the dye content would be 5 103 30 g/mL = 150 mg/
mL. A dilution of 1:50 with 0.1 N NaOH is needed. Adjust the reaction to pH 13,
and measure the extinction at 490 nm.
Find the concentration of protein-bound FITC in mg/mL by multiplying the
measured FITC concentration by the serum dilution factor. If no dilution was made,
the value should be multiplied by a correction factor of 1.07.
Calculation of the fluorescein/protein ratio
1.
Express protein concentrations in mg/mL.
2.
Find the FITC amount using the optical extinction at 490 nm in 0.1 N NaOH
with reference to a pure FDA standard.
240
3.
Calculate the fluorescein/protein ratio and express the result as milligrams of

FITC per milligram of protein.
For conversion into the molar ratio, use a factor of 0.411. The factor is
calculated from the molecular weight of FITC (389) and IgG (160 000).
Note: commercial conjugates may contain unlabelled proteins for stabilization
and reduction of non-specific staining. Therefore it is necessary to identify the
type and amount of the added protein first to find the correct fluorescein/
protein ratio.
References
Bradley, 1976; Lowry et al., 1951; Weichselbaum, 1946.
10.1.3 Assessment of the the molar fluorescein/protein ratio of
TRITC conjugates
The correct wavelength must be chosen for quantitative determinations, since
there is no stable reference material available to substitute for TRITC. Amorphous
TRITC has two absorption maxima, at 515 nm and 550 nm, whereas crystalline
TRITC has only one maximum (555 nm).
Use the following expression for calculating the molar fluorescein/protein based
on a molecular weight of 160 000. Ratio of IgG conjugates to crystalline TRITC:
Molar fluorescein/protein = 6.6 OD 555 nm protein concentration (mg/mL)
The factor 6.6 is the ratio of the extinction coefficient of 1 M TRITC (0.041)
and the factor for converting IgG concentration in mg/mL to molarity (0.00625). A
correction factor a must be applied to find the protein concentration.
IgG concentration (mg/mL) = (OD280 nm [a OD max])/1.4
The correction factor a for TRITC = 0.56.
241
10.1.4 Determination of staining titres of conjugates for direct

fluorescent antibody tests
Purpose
Finding the specific fluorescent antibody optimum conjugate staining titre with
homologous antigen.
Approach
A two-fold serial dilution is made of the conjugate, and these dilutions are reacted
with the specific antigen and a negative (heterologous) antigen control. Brightness
of specific staining is assessed for each dilution.
Materials
Conjugate, specific.
Antigen, homologous to the conjugate, fixed appropriately on slides (specific staining
control).
Note: this may be bacterial smears, tissue culture spot slides, or infected tissue.
Antigen, heterologous to the conjugate (non-specific staining control).
Test tubes.
Serological pipettes, 1 and 5 mL.
Fixation method (heat or chemical appropriate for the antigen).
Method (example: bacteria)
1.
Prepare slide smears of 1824 hour cultures of bacteria.

Note: suspensions of bacteria in distilled water make good substrates.
2.
3.
Heat-fix the smears.

Make serial two-fold dilutions of the conjugate in phosphate buffered saline.
Note: the maximum dilution tested is learned by experience with the antigenantibody system
used.
242
4.
React smears of the bacteria with conjugate dilutions according to standard

fluorescent antibody test methods.
5.
Examine the smears by epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy, and grade the

fluorescence intensity as 0, 1+, 2+, 3+ (bright) or 4+ (brilliant).
Note: it is preferable that one person code the test smears and another person
do the slide fluorescence assessment without knowing the code (blind
reading).
Results
The staining titre is the highest two-fold dilution of conjugate that yields 3+ specific
fluorescence. The control, heterologous bacteria or other antigen, should not stain
at all, or only slightly at low dilutions (more concentrated).
Use dilution
This is usually one two-fold dilution below (more concentrated) than the titre dilution.
(For example, if the highest dilution of conjugate that gives 3+ fluorescence is 1:16,
then the use dilution is 1:8.)
11. History of fluorescence

microscopy
The history of fluorescence microscopy started in 1904 when Khler examined

biological materials under a microscope using ultraviolet light. In 1938, Haitinger
summarized the actual knowledge about the application of fluorochromes in
microscopy. The birthday of immunofluorescence microscopy (fluorescent
antibody) was in 1941, when Coons, Creech and Jones conjugated the fluorescent
compound -anthryl isocyanate to pneumococcal antiserum. This fluorescent
antiserum considerably improved detection of pneumococcal antigen in tissue. The
original labelling of antibody with fluorescein isocyanate was quite complex, and
this limited its use to more sophisticated laboratories. In 1958, Riggs et al. reported
a more stable fluorochrome, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). This was more
easily conjugated to antibody and made fluorescent antibody methods available for
general use.
All this original work was done by transmitted light fluorescence microscopy.
Brumberg was the first to describe the epi-illumination microscopy technique in
1959. This was used and preferred in the USSR and eastern Europe for several
years before it was appreciated in the West, when Leitz and Zeiss were the first to
produce epi-illumination fluorescence microscopes. In 1967, Ploem reported a
vertical illuminator and a dichroic mirror system that permitted passage of selectedwavelength light through a dichroic mirror and reflected other wavelengths. In this
technique the low-wavelength excitation beam is reflected downward and focused
on the specimen through the objective lens, and the higher-wavelength emitted light
is transmitted back through the objective to the eye through the dichroic mirror.
With the epi-illumination system two microscopic techniques could be
combined; for example, to examine living cells stained with fluorochromes or
244
fluorescent antibodies by both fluorescence and phase contrast microscopy

simultaneously. Furthermore, epi-fluorescence microscopy was more efficient and
simpler to use.
The introduction of halogen lamps for fluorescence microscopy made it possible
to provide more economical light sources for epi-fluorescence microscopes. This
meant that fluorescence microscopy could be used under more difficult working
conditions and in smaller laboratories for a wide range of rapid diagnostic tests.
In 1967, Tomlinson reported a filter and lamp system to view fluorescent
antibody preparations with a 100 watt quartziodine lamp. In 1968, Johnson and
Dollhopf expanded on Tomlinsons work. Interestingly, the filter combination they
used gave satisfactory bright orange fluorescence from rhodamine conjugates.
Others reported a lack of fluorescence in rhodamine fluorochromes with iodine
quartz illumination when using interference filters. This orange fluorescence was
achieved by transmitted light fluorescence microscopy using colour glass and gelatin
filters. Perhaps their success lay in the filter systems used.
Nairn summarized the development of fluorescence microscopy in the fourth
edition of his publication Fluorescent protein tracing. Since then, development of
more sophisticated techniques, such as laser fluorescence microscopy and confocal
fluorescence microscopy, shows that fluorescence microscopy technology has not
reached its end.
References
Brumberg EM, 1959; Coons AH et al., 1941; Haitinger M, 1959; Johnson GD,
Dollhopf FL, 1968; Khler A, 1904; Nairn RC, 1975; Ploem JS, 1967; Riggs JL et
al., 1958; Tomlinson AH, 1967; Wijnaendts van Resandt RW et al., 1985.
12. Annexes
SUPPLIERS
12.1 Suppliers of fluorescence microscopes
Helmut Hund GmbH (formerly Will Wetzlar
GmbH)
Wilhelm-Will-Strasse 7
D-35580 Wetzlar
Germany
Tel.:
+49 644 120 040
Fax:
+49 644 120 0444
www.hund.de
Leica Microsystems AG
Ernst-Leitz-Strasse 1737
D-35578 Wetzlar
Germany
Tel.:
+49 6441 29 0
Fax:
+49 6441 29 2590
www.leica-microsystems.com
Lomo America, Inc.
15 East Palatine Road
Unit 104
Prospect Heights IL 60070
USA
Tel.:
+1 847 215 8800
Fax:
+1 847 215 9073
www.lomoplc.com
Note: Russian microscope made in St Petersburg.
LW Scientific, Inc.
4727-G North Royal Atlanta Drive
Tucker GA 30084
USA
Tel.:
+1 770 270 1394
Fax:
+1 770 270 2389
www.lwscientific.com
Nikon Corporation
916 Ohi 3-chome
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 140-8505
Japan
Tel.:
+81 3 3773 8121
www.nikon.com
Olympus Corporation
Shinjuku Monolith
31 Nishi-Shinjuku 2-chome
Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 163-0914
Japan
Tel.:
+81 3 3340 2111
www.olympus-global.com/en/global/index.html
246
Portable Medical Laboratories, Inc.

PO Box 667
Solana Beach CA 92075-0667
USA
Tel.:
+1 858 755 7385
Fax:
+1 858 259 6022
www.portable-medical-lab.com
Seiler Instrument & Manufacturing Company,
Inc.
Microscope Division
170 East Kirkham Avenue
St Louis MO 63119
USA
Tel.:
+1 314 968 2282
Fax:
+1 314 968 2637
www.seilerinst.com
Thomas Scientific
99 High Hill Road
PO Box 99
Swedesboro NJ 08085-0099
USA
Tel.:
+1 856 467 2000
Fax:
+1 856 467 3087
www.thomassci.com
United Products & Instruments, Inc.
182 Ridge Road
Suite E
Dayton NJ 08810
USA
Tel.:
+1 732 274 1155
Fax:
+1 732 274 1151
www.unicoupi.com
Wang BioMedical Europe
Bowlespark 3030a
6701 DS Wageningen
Netherlands
Tel.:
+31 317 416 025
Fax:
+31 317 427 278
www.wangbiomed.com
Western Scientific Co., Inc.
4104 24th Street #183
San Francisco CA 94114
USA
Tel.:
+1 415 826 5732
Fax:
+1 415 826 5738
www.wescomicroscopes.com
Carl Zeiss, Inc.
Microscopy & Imaging Systems
1 Zeiss Drive
Thornwood NY 10594-1939
USA
Tel.:
+1 914 747 1800
Fax:
+1 914 681 7446
www.zeiss.com/micro
Carl Zeiss Mikroskopie
Knigsallee 921
D-37081 Gttingen
Germany
Tel.:
+49 551 50 60 660
Fax:
+49 551 50 60 480
www.zeiss.de/micro
Zirconium, Inc.
1744 rue William bureau 108
Montreal
Quebec H3J 1R4
Canada
Tel.:
+1 514 334 0322
Fax:
+1 514 334 1455
www.zirkonium.ca
12.2 Suppliers of fluorescence conversion kits for

microscopes
Portable Medical Laboratories, Inc.
PO Box 667
Solana Beach CA 92075-0667
USA
Tel.:
Fax:
+1 858 755 7385

+1 858 259 6022
Annexes
247
12.3 Suppliers of fluorescent antibody conjugates, kits and

antisera
ABI
Tel.:
Fax:
Advanced Biotechnologies, Inc.

Rivers Park 2
9108 Guilford Road
Columbia MD 21046-2701
USA
+1 410 792 9779
+1 301 497 9773
www.abionline.com
AMR American Research Products, Inc.

489 Common Street
Belmont MA 02478
USA
Tel.:
+1 617 489 1120
Fax:
+1 617 489 5120
www.arp1.com
ANT
ACC
Tel.:
Fax:
Accurate Chemical Scientific Co.

300 Shames Drive
Westbury NY 11590
USA
+1 516 333 2221
+1 516 997 4948
www.accuratechemical.com
Tel.:
Fax:
ARG
ACE
Tel.:
Fax:
Access Biomedical
6362 Ferris Square
San Diego CA 92121
USA
+1 858 452 7700
+1 858 452 7701
www.accessbiomed.com
Tel.:
Fax:
BCM
ADI
Tel.:
Fax:
Advanced Immunochemical, Inc.

105 Claremont Avenue
Long Beach CA 90803
USA
+1 562 434 4676
+1 562 494 3776
www.advimmuno.com
AMQ American Qualex Antibodies, Inc.

920A Calle Negocio
San Clemente CA 92673
USA
Tel.:
+1 949 492 8298
Fax:
+1 949 492 6290
www.americanqualex.com
Tel.:
Fax:
BET
Tel.:
Fax:
Antibodies, Inc.
PO Box 1560
Davis CA 95617-1560
USA
+1 530 758 4400
+1 530 758 6307
www.antibodiesinc.com
Argene SA
Parc Technologique Delte Sud
09120 Varilhes
France
+33 56 16 96 100
+33 56 16 96 101
www.argene.com
Biochemed Corp.
9552 Telhan Drive
Huntington Beach CA 92646
USA
+1 714 963 4117
+1 714 964 8881
Bethyl Laboratories, Inc.
PO Box 850
Montgomery TX 77356
USA
+1 936 597 6111
+1 936 597 6105
www.bethyl.com
248
BGN
Tel.:
Fax:
Biogenesis Ltd.
Technology Road
Poole BH17 7DA
Dorset
United Kingdom
+44 1202 660 006
+44 1202 660 020
www.biogenesis.co.uk/homejcc.stm
CHM Chemicon International, Inc.

28835 Single Oak Drive
Temecula CA 92590
USA
Tel.:
+1 909 676 8080
Fax:
+1 909 676 9209
www.chemicon.com
CHR
BID
Tel.:
Fax:
Biodesign International
60 Industrial Park Road
Saco ME 04072
USA
+1 207 283 6500
+1 207 283 4800
www.biodesign.com
Tel.:
Fax:
BMX bioMrieux SA
F-69280 Marcy lEtoile
Charbonnires-les-Bains
France
Tel.:
+33 4 78 87 20 00
Fax:
+33 4 78 87 20 90
www.biomerieux.com
CLA
BND
CMB
Tel.:
Fax:
Tel.:
Fax:
BSR
Tel.:
Fax:
The Binding Site, Inc.

5889 Oberlin Drive
Suite 101
San Diego CA 92121
+1 858 453 9177
+1 858 453 9189
The Binding Site Ltd.
PO Box 11712
Birmingham B14 4ZB
United Kingdom
+44 121 436 1000
+44 121 430 7061
www.bindingsite.co.uk
Biosource International
542 Flynn Road
Camarillo CA 93012
USA
+1 805 987 0086
+1 805 987 3385
www.biosource.com
Tel.:
Fax:
Tel.:
Fax:
Tel.:
Fax:
Chromaprobe, Inc.
DorsettFee Fee Center
378 Fee Fee Road
Maryland Heights MO 63043
USA
+1 314 738 0001
+1 314 738 0001
www.chromaprobe.com
Cellabs Pty. Ltd.
PO Box 421
Brookvale NSW 2100
Australia
+612 9905 0133
+612 9905 6426
www.cellabs.com.au
Cambio Ltd.
Irwin Centre
Scotland Road
Dry Drayton
Cambridge CB3 8AR
United Kingdom
+44 1954 210 200
+44 1954 210 300
www.cambio.co.uk
Corgenix United Kingdom Ltd.
International Division
75 Broadway
Peterborough PE1 1SY
Cambridgeshire
United Kingdom
+44 1733 296 800
+44 1733 296 809
www.corgenix.co.uk
Annexes
COR
Tel.:
Fax:
DAK
Tel.:
Fax:
Tel.:
Fax:
DIF
Tel.:
Fax:
Cortex Biochem
1933 Davis Street
Suite 321
San Leandro CA 94577
USA
+1 510 568 2228
+1 510 568 2467
www.cortex-biochem.com
DakoCytomation A/S
Produktionsvej 42
DK-2600 Glostrup
Denmark
+1 45 44 85 95 00
+1 45 44 85 95 95
DakoCytomation, Inc.
6392 Via Real
Carpinteria CA 93013
USA
+1 805 566 6655
+1 805 566 6688
www.dakocytomation.com
Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Systems
7 Loveton Circle
Sparks MD 21152
USA
+1 410 316 4000
+1 410 527 0244
www.bd.com, www.difco.com
Denka Seiken Company, Ltd.

342 Nihonbashi
Kayaba-cho
Chuo-ku
Tokyo 103-0025
Japan
Tel.:
+81 3 3669 9421
Fax:
+81 3 3669 99390
www.denka-seiken.co.jp/english/enindex.htm
249
Tel.:
Fax:
+1 281 332 9678

+1 281 338 1895
www.dslabs.com
EYL
E-Y Laboratories
107127 North Amphlett Boulevard
San Mateo CA 94401
USA
+1 650 342 3296
+1 650 342 2648
www.eylabs.com
Tel.:
Fax:
FII
Tel.:
Fax:
MRL
Tel.:
Fax:
GBO
DNS
DSL
Diagnostic Systems Laboratories

445 Medical Center Boulevard
Webster TX 77598-4217
USA
Tel.:
Fax:
HAS
Tel.:
Fax:
Fitzgerald Industries International, Inc.

34 Junction Square Drive
Concord MA 01742-3049
USA
+1 978 371 6446
+1 978 371 2266
www.fitzgerald-fii.com
Focus Technologies, Inc.
Diagnostics Client Services
10703 Progress Way
Cypress CA 90630-4717
USA
+1 714 220 1900
+1 714 220 1820
www.MRLinfo.com,
www.focusanswers.com
Genbio
15222-A Avenue of Science
San Diego CA 92128
USA
+1 858 592 9300
+1 858 592 9400
www.genbio.com
Harlan Sera-Lab Ltd.
Dodgeford Lane
Belton
Loughborough LE12 9TE
Leicestershire
United Kingdom
+44 1530 222 123
+44 1530 224 970
www.harlanseralab.co.uk
250
HDS
Tel.:
Fax:
HEM
Tel.:
Fax:
HYT
Tel.:
Fax:
IMA
Tel.:
Fax:
IPP
Tel.:
Fax:
IMN
HD Supplies
44 Rabans Close
Rabans Lane Industrial Estate
Aylesbury HP19 3RS
Buckinghamshire
United Kingdom
+44 1296 431 920
+44 1296 392 121
Hemagen Diagnostics, Inc.
3440 Bear Hill Road
Waltham MA 02451
USA
+1 781 890 3766
+1 781 890 3748
www.hemagen.com
Hytest Ltd.
Pharmacity
Fifth floor
Itainen Pitkakatu 4C
20520 Turku
Finland
+358 2 512 0900
+358 2 512 0909
www.hytest.fi
Immunsystem AB
Dag Hammarskjlds vg 26
S-751 83 Uppsala
Sweden
+46 18 53 89 09
+46 18 53 89 97
www.immunsystem.se
Institut Pasteur
Aventis Pasteur
2 Avenue Pont Pasteur
F-69367 Lyon CEDEX 07
France
+33 43 73 70 100
+33 43 73 77 737
www.aventispasteur.com
Immunodiagnostics, Inc.
21 F Olympia Avenue
Woburn MA 01801
USA
Tel.:
Fax:
+1 781 938 6300

+1 781 938 7300
www.immunodx.com
KIR
Kirkegaard & Perry Laboratories, Inc.

2 Cessna Court
Gaithersburg MD 20879
USA
+1 301 948 7755
+1 301 948 0169
www.kpl.com
Tel.:
Fax:
KMI
Tel.:
Fax:
LAM
Tel.:
Fax:
LEL
Tel.:
Fax:
MBS
Tel.:
Fax:
KMI Diagnostics, Inc.

8201 Central Avenue NE
Suite P
Minneapolis MN 55432
USA
+1 763 780 2955
+1 763 780 2988
www.kmidiagnostics.com
Lampire Biological Laboratories
PO Box 279
Pipersville PA 18947
USA
+1 215 795 2838
+1 215 795 0237
www.lampire.com
Lee Laboratories
1475 Athens Highway SW
Grayson GA 30017
USA
+1 770 972 4450
+1 770 979 9570
www.leelabs.com
Maine Biotechnology Services
1037R Forest Avenue
Portland ME 04103
USA
+1 207 797 5454
+1 207 797 5595
www.mainebiotechnology.com
Annexes
MCA Medica, Inc.

336 Encinitas Boulevard
Suite 200
Encinitas CA 92024
USA
Tel.:
+1 760 634 5440
Fax:
+1 760 634 5442
www.medica-dx.com
MEN
Tel.:
Fax:
MIB
Tel.:
Fax:
NOR
Tel.:
Fax:
NOV
Tel.:
Fax:
Meridian Diagnostics, Inc.

3471 River Hills Drive
Cincinnati OH 45244
USA
+1 513 271 3700
+1 513 272 5432
www.meridianbioscience.com
Microbix Biosystems
341 Bering Avenue
Toronto
Ontario M8Z 3A8
Canada
+1 416 234 1624
+1 416 234 1626
www.microbix.com
Nordic Immunological Laboratories BV
Langestraat 5561
5308 SC Tilburg/PO Box 22
5000 AA Tilburg
Netherlands
+31 13 535 10 85
+ 31 13 536 45 89
www.nordiclabs.nl
Novocastra Laboratories Ltd.
Balliol Business Park West
Benton Lane
Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8EW
United Kingdom
+44 191 215 0567
+44 191 215 1152
www.novocastra.co.uk
OEM O.E.M. Concepts, Inc.

1000 Industrial Way North
Unit C
Toms River NJ 08755
USA
251
Tel.:
Fax:
+1 732 341 3570

+1 732 286 3173
www.oemconcepts.com
OBT
Oxford Biotechnology Ltd.

Biotech House
Bankside
Kidlington
Oxford OX5 1JE
United Kingdom
+44 1865 852 740
+44 1865 852 741
www.immunologicalsdirect.com
Tel.:
Fax:
PAE
Tel.:
Fax:
PBP
Tel.:
Fax:
RES
Tel.:
Fax:
SAB
Tel.:
Fax:
Paesel + Lorei GmbH

Moselstrasse 2b
D-63452 Hanau
Germany
+49 61 81 18 70 0
+ 49 61 81 18 70 70
www.paesel-lorei.de
PanBio Pty. Ltd.
116 Lutwyche Road
Windsor
Brisbane
Queensland 4030
Australia
+61 7 3357 1177
+61 7 3357 1222
www.panbio.com.au
Research Diagnostics, Inc.
Pleasant Hill Road
Flanders NJ 07836
USA
+1 973 584 7093
+1 973 584 0210
www.researchd.com
Sanbio BV/Monosan
Postbus 540
5400 AM Uden
Netherlands
+31 413 25 11 15
+31 413 26 66 05
www.sanbio.nl
252
Tel.:
Fax:
SCI
Tel.:
Fax:
SER
Tel.:
Fax:
SIG
Tel.:
Fax:
SOU
Tel.:
Fax:
SPR
Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation

PO Box 9190
Diagnostic Services
1006 AD Amsterdam
Netherlands
+31 20 512 3333
+31 20 512 3332
www.sanquin.nl/sanquin-eng/
sqn_home_eng.nsf
Scimedx Corporation
400 Ford Road
Denville NJ 07834
USA
+1 973 625 8822
+1 973 625 8796
www.scimedx.com
Serotec Ltd.
22 Bankside
Station Approach
Kidlington
Oxford OX5 1JE
United Kingdom
+44 1865 852 700
+44 1865 373 899
www.serotec.co.uk
Sigma Chemical Co.
PO Box 14508
St Louis MO 63178
USA
+1 314 771 5765
+1 314 791 5757
www.sigma-aldrich.com
Tel.:
Fax:
+1 410 795 2222

+1 410 795 2242
www.svlab.com
TMO Thermo Electron (Shandon Products)

171 Industry Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15275
USA
Tel.:
+1 412 788 1133
Fax:
+1 412 788 1138
www.thermo.com
TRN
Tel.:
Fax:
Tel.:
Fax:
UNL
Tel.:
Fax:
Southern Biotechnology Associates

PO Box 26211
Birmingham AL 35226
USA
+1 205 945 1774
+1 205 945 8768
www.southernbiotech.com
VIC
Spring Valley Laboratories, Inc.,

PO Box 242
Woodbine MD 21797
USA
Tel.:
Fax:
Trinity Biotech, Inc.

PO Box 1059
Jamestown NY 14702-1059
USA
+1 716 483 3851
+1 716 488 1990
Trinity Biotech plc
IDA Business Park
Bray
County Wicklow
Ireland
+353 1 276 9800
+353 1 276 9888
www.trinitybiotech.com
Catholic University of Louvain
Experimental Immunology Unit
UCL 3056
Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs 30
1200 Bruxelles
Belgium
+32 2 764 34 30
+32 2 764 39 46
rch.adre.ucl.ac.be/browse/list_alpha/
IMEX/en
Vircell SL
Plaza Dominguez Ortiz 1
Poligono Industrial Dos De Octubre
18320 Santa Fe
Granada
Spain
+34 958 44 12 64
+34 958 51 07 12
www.vircell.com
Annexes
VIO
Tel.:
Fax:
VIR
Tel.:
Fax:
VMR
Tel.:
Fax:
Virogen
200 Dexter Avenue
Watertown MA 02472
USA
+1 617 926 9167
+1 617 926 9157
www.virogen.com
Virostat
PO Box 8522
Portland ME 04104
USA
+1 207 856 6620
+1 207 856 6864
www.virostat-inc.com
VMRD, Inc.
PO Box 502
Pullman WA 99163
USA
+1 509 334 5815
+1 509 332 5356
www.vmrd.com
WAM Wampole Laboratories

2 Research Way
Princeton NJ 08540
USA
253
Tel.:
Fax:
+1 609 627 8000

+1 609 627 8013
www.wampolelabs.com
WAS
Washington Research Foundation

2815 Eastlake Avenue East
Suite 300
Seattle WA 98102
USA
+1 206 336 5600
+1 206 336 5615
www.wrfseattle.org
Tel.:
Fax:
WTR
Tel.:
Fax:
ZYM
Tel.:
Fax:
Waterborne
6047 Hurst Street
New Orleans LA 70118-6129
USA
+1 504 895 3338
+1 504 895 3338
www.waterborneinc.com
Zymed Laboratories
561 Eccles Avenue
South San Francisco CA 94080
USA
+1 650 871 4494
+1 650 871 4499
www.zymed.com
12.4 Suppliers of chemicals and fluorochromes

Gallard-Schlesinger Industries, Inc.
245 Newtown Road
Suite 305
Plainview NY 11803
USA
Tel.:
+1 516 683 6900
Fax:
+1 516 683 6990
www.gallard-schlesinger.com
EMD Chemicals, Inc.
480 South Democrat Road
Gibbstown NY 08027
USA
Tel.:
+1 856 423 6300
Fax:
+1 856 423 4389
www.emdchemicals.com
Fisher Scientific Co.

4500 Turnberry Drive
Hanover Park IL 60103
USA
Tel.:
+1 630 259 1200
Fax:
+1 630 259 4444
www.fishersci.com
Merck KGaA
Frankfurter Strasse 250
D-64293 Darmstadt
Germany
Tel.:
+49 6151 72-0
Fax:
+49 6151 72 2000
www.merck.de
254
9F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Diagnostics Division
Grenzacherstrasse 124
CH-4070 Basel
Switzerland
Tel. +41 61 688 1111
Fax:
+41 61 6 91 9391
www.roche-diagostics.com
Sigma-Aldrich Co.
PO Box 14508
St Louis MO 63178-9916
USA
Tel.:
+1 314 771 5750
Fax:
+1 314 771 5757
www.sigmaaldrich.com
VWR International
1310 Goshen Parkway
West Chester PA 19380
USA
Tel.:
+1 610 431 1700
Fax:
+1 610 436 1762
www.vwrsp.com
VWR International AG
Rchligstrasse 20
Postfach 964
CH-8953 Dietikon
Switzerland
Tel. +41 1 745 1111
Fax:
+41 1 745 1100
www.vwr.com
ZLB-Behring GmbH
Emil-von-Behring-Strasse 76
D-35401 Marburg
Germany
Tel.:
+49 6421 3912
Fax:
+49 6421 39 4825
www.aventisbioservices.com,
www.zlbbehring.com
12.5 Suppliers of fluorescence microscopy supplies

BioRad Laboratories, Inc.
2000 Alfred Nobel Drive
Hercules CA 94547
USA
Tel.:
+1 541 741 1000
Fax:
+1 541 741 5800
www.biorad.com
Fisher Scientific International, Inc.
Export Division
50 Fadem Road
Springfield NJ 07081-3193. USA
Tel.:
+1 973 467 6511
Fax:
+1 973 376 1546
www.fishersci.com
Pharmacia Diagnostics AB
SE-751 37 Uppsala
Sweden
Tel.:
+46 18 16 30 00
Fax:
+46 18 14 03 58
www.diagnostics.com
Thomas Scientific
PO Box 99
Swedesboro NJ 08085
USA
Tel.:
+1 856 467 2000
Fax:
+1 856 467 3087
International sales fax: +1 856 467 0512
www.thomassci.com
VWR International
1310 Goshen Parkway
West Chester PA 19380
USA
Tel.:
+1 610 431 1700
Fax:
+1 610 436 1762
VWR International BVBA/SPRL
Annexes
255
Haasrode Researchpark Zone 3

Geldenaaksebaan 464
B-3001 Leuven
Belgium
Tel.:
+32 16 385 011
Fax:
+32 16 385 385
www.vwr.com
Pall Life Sciences

600 South Wagner Road
Ann Arbor MI 48103-9019
USA
Tel.:
+1 734 665 0651
Fax:
+1 734 913 6114
www.pall.com
Membrane filters and filter apparatus

Millipore Corporation
80 Ashby Road
Bedford MA 01730
USA
Tel.:
+1 781 533 6000
Fax:
+1 781 533 3110
www.millipore.com
Whatman, Inc.
200 Wells Avenue
Newton MA 02459-3304
USA
Tel.:
+1 781 753 6590
Fax:
+1 781 753 6555
www.whatman.com
12.6 Suppliers of auto-immune disease test reagents

Anti-nuclear antibody FITC conjugate kits
MCA Medica, Inc.
336 Encinitas Boulevard
Suite 200
Encinitas CA 92024
USA
Tel.:
+1 760 634 5440
Fax:
+1 760 634 5442
www.medica-dx.com
SCI
Tel.:
Fax:
Scimedx Corp.
400 Ford Road
Denville NJ 07834
USA
+1 973 625 8822
+1 973 625 8796
www.scimedx.com
Tel.:
Fax:
+1 516 333 2221

+1 516 997 4948
www.accuratechemical.com
ANT
Antibodies, Inc.
PO Box 1560
Davis CA 95617-1560
USA
+1 530 758 4400
+1 530 758 6307
www.antibodiesinc.com
Tel.:
Fax:
BND
Tel.:
Fax:
The Binding Site Ltd.

PO Box 11712
Birmingham B14 4ZB
UK
+44 121 436 1000
+44 121 430 7061
www.bindingsite.co.uk
Anti-DNA antibody FITC conjugate kits

HEM
ACC
Accurate Chemical & Scientific Co.

300 Shames Drive
Westbury NY 11590
USA
Tel.:
Fax:
Hemagen Diagnostics, Inc.

9033 Red Branch Road
Columbia MD 21045
USA
+1 443 367 5500
+1 410 997 7812
www.hemagen.com
256
CONJUGATES, ANTIBODIES AND TEST KITS

12.7 Monoclonal fluorescent antibody conjugates to detect
infectious antigens
Etiological agent
Adenovirus
Bluetongue virus
Candida albicans
Canine distemper
Chlamydia spp.
C. pneumoniae
C. trachomatis
Clostridium spp.
Cryptosporidium spp.
Cytomegalovirus
Disease
URI
Bluetongue, cattle
Candidiasis
Distemper
Trachoma, STD
Pneumonia
Trachoma
Septicaemia,
food-poisoning
Diarrhoea
CNS abnormalities
Encephalitozoan spp.
Enterovirus VP 1
Diarrhoea
Aseptic meningitis,
febrile illness
EpsteinBarr virus
Infectious mononucleosis, tumorigenic
Escherichia coli O157
Haemorrhagic colitis
Feline leukaemia virus
Viral leukaemia
Hepatitis A virus
Hepatitis
Hepatitis B virus
Hepatitis
Hepatitis C virus
Hepatitis
Herpes simplex virus
Herpes
Human immunodeficiency HIV/AIDS
virus
Influenza virus
Influenza
Legionella pneumophila
Measles virus
Mumps virus
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Parainfluenza virus
Pneumocystis carinii
Respiratory syncytial virus
Rubella virus
Pneumonia
Measles
Mumps
Pneumonia
Gonorrhoea
Influenza
Pneumonia
Bronchiolitis,
pneumonia
German measles
Conjugate source
ACC, ACE, ARG, BGN, COR, HAS, VIR
VMR
COR
VMR
ARG, PAE
WAS
ACC, COR, VIR
VMR
BGN, HOV, VMR, WTR
ACC, BGN, CHM, COR, DAK, HAS, SHA,
VIR
WTR
NOV
ACC, VIR
ACC, COR, VIR
VIR
CHR, VIR
CHR, VIR
VIO, VIR
ACC, ARG, BGN, COR, HAS, VIR
AMR, BID, BGN, CHR, COR, IMN
ACC, ARG, BGN, COR, FII, HAS, NOV,
VIR
AMR, BGN, PAE
ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
ACC, COR, VIR
ACC, ARG, BGN, COR, HAS, VIR
ACC, COR, VIR
ACC, ARG, BGN, CAL, COR, FII, HAS,
NOV, SAB, VIR
CHM
Annexes
Rubeola virus
Salmonella spp.
Simian immunodeficiency
virus
Streptococcus Gr. A
Toxoplasma gondii
Trichomonas vaginalis
Trypanosoma brucei
Varicella/zoster virus
Yersinia enterocolitica
257
Measles
Diarrhoea
AIDS-like disease
ACC, COR, VIR

ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
AMR
Pharyngitis,
endocarditis, arthritis,
glomerulonephritis
Lymphadenopathy,
chorioretinitis,
CNS disease
Vaginitis, STD
Sleeping sickness
Chickenpox, shingles
Diarrhoea
ACC, COR, VIR
ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
ACC, BDP, COR, VIR

ACC, CED
BGN, NOV
AMR, DAE
12.8 Polyclonal fluorescent antibody conjugates to detect

infectious antigens
Etiological agent
Adenovirus
Aspergillus
Bordetella pertussis
B. parapertussis
Borrelia burgdorferi
Bovine adenovirus
Bovine herpes virus
Bovine infectious
rhinotracheitis virus
Bovine parainfluenza
Bovine parvovirus
Bovine reovirus
Bovine respiratory
syncytial virus
Bovine viral diarrhea
Campylobacter spp.
Candida albicans
Canine corona virus
Canine distemper
Canine herpes
Chlamydia trachomatis
Clostridium chauvoei
Disease
URI
Aspergillosis
Whooping cough
Whooping cough
Lyme disease
URI
Herpes
Rhinotracheitis
Conjugate source
ACC, BGN, CHM, COR, VIR
ACC, BGN, VIR
DIF
DIF
ACC, CHM, COR, FII, KIB, VIR, VMR
VMR
VMR
BGN
Influenza
Exanthema
Calf diarrhoea
Pneumonia
VMR
VMR
VMR
VMR
Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
Candidiasis
Gastroenteritis
Distemper
Herpes
Trachoma, VD
Herbivore
enterotoxaemia
BGN, VMR
ACC, BGN, KIR, VIR
ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
VMR
VMR
VMR
ACC, BGN, CHM, CHR, COR, VIR
VMR
258
C. novyi
C. septicum
C. sordelli
Corynebacterium
diphtheriae
Cryptosporidium parvum
Cytomegalovirus
Dirofilaria immitis
Encephalitozoan spp.
EpsteinBarr virus
Gas gangrene
Neutropenic
enterocolitis
Food poisoning
Diphtheria
VMR
VMR
VMR
ACC, BGN, DIF, VIR
Diarrhoea
CLA
Neonatal CNS disease ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
Canine heartworm
ACC, VIR
Diarrhoea
WTR
Infectious
BGN
mononucleosis
Equine rhinopneumonitis URI
VMR
Escherichia coli
Urinary tract infection ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
E. coli O157
Diarrhoea
BGN, KIR, FII
Feline herpes
Herpes
VMR
Feline infectious peritonitis Peritonitis
VMR
Leukaemia-like
ACC, COR, VMR, VIR
infection
Giardia lamblia
Diarrhoea
CLA, VIR
Helicobacter pylori
Stomach ulcer
ACC, KIR, VIR
Hepatitis B virus
Hepatitis
ACC, BGN, CEN, CHM, COR, VIR
Hepatitis C virus
Hepatitis
ACC, BGN, VIR
Hepatitis delta virus
Hepatitis
ARG, BGN
Herpes
ACC, BGN, CHM, COR, DAK, SHA, VIR
AMR, ACC, BGN, COR, IMN, VIR
virus
Influenza virus
Influenza
ACC, BGN, CHM, COR, FII, VIR
Klebsiella spp.
Pneumonia, sepsis
OXB
Legionella longbeachae
Legionnaire disease
COR
L. micdadei
Legionnaire disease
COR
L. pneumophila
Legionnaire disease
ACC, COR, VIR
Leishmania spp.
Leishmaniasis
CLA
Leptospira spp.
Leptospirosis
ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
Listeria monocytogenes
Listeriosis
ACC, BGN, DIF, KIR, VIR
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Tuberculosis
ACC, VIR
Mycoplasma pneumonia
Pneumonia
ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
Gonorrhoea
ACC, BGN, DIF, VIR
N. meningitidis
Meningitis
ACC, BGN, CIR, VIR
Neospora caninum
Helminth infection
VMR
Parainfluenza virus
Influenza
ACC, BGN, VIR, COR, CHM
Pneumonia
CLA
Porcine adenovirus
URI
VMR
Annexes
Porcine parvovirus
Rabies virus
Renibacterium
salmoninarum
Rotavirus
Rubella virus
Salmonella spp.
Shigella spp.
Staphylococcus aureus
259
Exanthema
Rabies
Salmon infection
VMR
VMR, IPP, CHM
KIR
URI
Diarrhoea
German measles
Salmonellosis
Shigellosis
ACC, BGN, COR, DIF, VIR
Septicaemia,
OXB
various infections
Streptococcus Gr. A
Strep throat, arthritis, ACC, BGN, CHM, COR, VIR
rheumatic fever
Streptococcus pneumoniae Pneumonia, meningitis VIR
Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasmosis
ACC, BGN, VIR
Treponema pallidum
Syphilis
ACC, COR, VIR
Transmissible
Gastroenteritis
VMR
gastroenteritis virus
Vaccinia virus
Cowpox
ACC, BGN, COR, VIR
Varicella/Zoster virus
Chickenpox
BGN
Vibrio cholerae
Cholera
ACC, BGN, VIR
12.9 Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies for indirect

Etiological agent
Adenovirus
Bacillus anthracis
Bordetella pertussis
Bunya virus
Burkholderia pseudomallei
Campylobacter jejuni
Candida albicans
Canine distemper virus
Chlamydia spp.
Clostridium botulinum
C. difficile
Corynebacterium
diphtheriae
Coxsackievirus
Cryptococcus neoformans
Disease
URI
Anthrax
Whooping cough
Lyme disease
Haemorrhagic fever
Melioidosis
Diarrhoea
Thrush, throat ulcers
Distemper
STD, blindness
Botulism
Diarrhoea
Diphtheria
Source
MBS
AMQ, FII, OBT, OEM, OXB
ABG, BGN, CMB, OXB
MBS
CHM
ADI, AMQ, HYT
ACC, BGN, BID, MBS, OXB
MBS, OBT, OXB
OBT, OXB
CHM, MBS, OXB
ADI, AMQ, BGN, HYT, OEM
ICN, MBS, OBT, OXB, TEC
ACC, ANQ, ARG, MBS
Myocarditis
Meningitis
BGN, CHM
LAB
260
Cytomegalovirus
Dengue virus
Eastern equine encephalitis
(EEE)
Entamoeba histolytica
EpsteinBarr virus
Escherichia coli O157
Feline immunodeficiency
virus
Francisella tularensis
Giardia lamblia
Hantavirus
Diarrhoea
CNS abnormalities
Dengue
Encephalitis
OBT, OXB
CHM, MBS, OXB
CHM, FII, MIB, OBT, OXB
CHM
Dysentery
Mononucleosis
Gastroenteritis
AIDS-like
AMR, BGN, QED

CHM, FII
MBS
OXB
Tularaemia
Leukaemia-like
infection
Diarrhoea
Haemorrhagic
encephalopathy
Stomach ulcer
Hepatitis
BGN, CMB, HYT, OEM

MBS, OBT, OXB
Helicobacter pylori
Hepatitis virus:
A, B, C, delta
Herpes
virus
Influenza virus
Influenza
Japanese B encephalitis
Encephalitis
virus
Leishmania spp.
Leishmaniasis
Legionella pneumophila
Pneumonia
Leptospira spp.
Weil disease, jaundice
Listeria spp.
Listeriosis
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Tuberculosis
Gonorrhoea
Neisseria meningitidis
Meningitis
Papilloma virus
Warts, neoplasia
Plasmodium falciparum
Malaria
Pneumonia
Poliovirus
Polio
Prion protein
BSE, scrapie
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Ear infections,
meningitis
P. mallei
Glanders
(Burkholderia mallei)
Rabies virus
Rabies
Respiratory syncytial virus CNS disease
ACC, BGN, MBS, OBT, OXB, VIR

MBS
ACC, BGN, CNX
CHM, OBT
CHM, MBS, NOV
MBS
ACE, ARG, BGN, CHM, COR, FII, MBS,
NOV OEM, PAE
MIB
ACC, BGN, CED
MBS, NOV, OBT
WHO-4
MBS
MBS, NOV
MBS, OBT
ACC, MBS, OBT
ACE, BGN, CHM, OBT
BGN, COR
MBS, NOV
NOV
CHM, MBS, OBT
BGN
ADI, AMQ, HYT, OEM
ACC, ACE, AMR, OBT
MBS
Annexes
Rotavirus
Rubella virus
Salmonella spp.
Salmonella paratyphi A
S. typhi
Shigella spp.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin
Streptococcus Grs. A, B
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Toxoplasma gondii
Treponema pallidum
Vaccinia virus
Venezuelan equine
encephalitis (VEE)
Verotoxins
Vibrio cholerae
Western equine
encephalitis (WEE)
Yellow fever virus
Yersinia pestis
261
Gastroenteritis
ACE, AMQ, CHM, MBS, OBT
German measles
MBS
Diarrhoea
MBS, OBT
Enteric fever
CAP, ICN
Typhoid fever
BGN, MBS, OBT, STA
Dysentery
CHM, MBS
Food poisoning
ACC, ARG, MBS, VIR
Strep throat, sepsis CHM
Pneumonia, meningitis CHM, MBS
Lymphadenopathy
OBT, MBS
Syphilis
ACE, BGN, MBS, OBT, OEM
STD
MBS, OBT
Cowpox
MBS
Encephalitis
CHM
Diarrhoea
Cholera
Encephalitis
OBT
ACC, AMQ, BGN
CHM
Yellow fever
Plague
BGN, CHM, OBT

ACC, AMQ, AMR, BGN, CMB, HYT,
COR, MBS, OBT, OEM, RES, VIR
12.10 Direct fluorescent antibody test kits for detecting

infectious antigens
Etiological agent
Adenovirus
Chlamydia pneumoniae
C. trachomatis
Coxsackievirus
Cytomegalovirus
Echovirus
Ehrlichia spp.
Enterovirus
Giardia lamblia
Influenza virus
Legionella spp.
Disease
Kit source
URI
ACC, ARG, CHM, DAK
Lyme disease
WAM
Pneumonia
ACC, DAK
Trachoma (VD)
ACC, AMR, DAK, TRN
Neonatal sepsis,
CHM
myocarditis,
haemorrhagic conjunctivitis
Diarrhoea
MEN, WTR
CNS abnormalities
ARG, TRN, CHM
Neonatal sepsis
CHM
Ehrlichiosis
PBP
Diarrhoea
CHM
Diarrhoea
MEN, WTR
Herpes
ABI, ACC, CHM, DAK, TRN
Influenza
ACC, CHM, DAK
Pneumonia
AMR, SCI, TRN
262
Parainfluenza virus
Plasmodium falciparum
Pneumonia screening
Rabies virus
Rickettsia spp.
Toxoplasma gondii
URI screen
Viral respiratory
Influenza
Malaria
Pneumonia
Pneumonia
Rabies
Pneumonia
Rickettsioses
Toxoplasmosis
Trichomoniasis
URI
Respiratory disease
ACC, CHM, DAK

IPP
AMR, CHM, MEN, VIC
VIC, CHM
CHM
ACC, CHM, DAK, TRN
IND
IPP
CHM
IPP
TRN
12.11 Indirect fluorescent antibody test kits for infectious

disease antibodies
Antibody
Anti-adenovirus
Anti-arbovirus screen
AntiBartonella henselae
AntiBorrelia burgdorferi
AntiBrucella canis
Anti-Brucella spp.
Anti-Candida
AntiChlamydia
pneumoniae
AntiC. psittaci
AntiC. trachomatis
AntiCoxiella burnetii
Anti-cytomegalovirus
Antidengue virus
AntiEpsteinBarr virus
Disease
Respiratory disease
Encephalitis
Cat scratch fever
Lyme disease
Brucellosis
Brucellosis
Candidiasis
Source code
VIC
MRL, VIC
AMR, MRL
AMR, KMI, MRL, WAM
AMR
BMX
KMI
Pneumonia
AMR, MRL, VIC
Ornithosis
AMR
Trachoma, VD
DIF, HEM
Q fever
AMR, MRL, VIC
CNS disease, birth defects
HEM, KMI, WAM
Dengue
AMR, PBP
Infectious
AMR, HEM, GUL, KMI, MRL, VIC
mononucleosis
AntiErlichia spp.
Erlichiosis
MRL
Anti-hantavirus
Haemorrhagic nephropathy
MBS
Antiherpes simplex virus Herpes
GBO, HEM, KMI
Anti-HIV
AIDS
KMI
Antiinfluenza virus
Influenza
TRN, VIC
AntiLegionella
Pneumonia
MRL, SCI, VIC, WAM
pneumophila
AntiLeishmania donovani Visceral leishmaniasis VIC
AntiLeptospira spp.
Leptospirosis
AMR
Annexes
Antimeasles virus
Antimumps virus
AntiMycoplasma
pneumoniae
Antiparainfluenza virus
AntiPlasmodium
falciparum
Antirespiratory synctial
virus
AntiRickettsia conorii
AntiR. prowazekii
AntiR. rickettsii
263
Measles
Mumps
Pneumonia
HEM, KMI
HEM, KMI
AMR, VIC, WAM
Influenza
Malaria
TRN, VIC
BMX
Bronchiolitis,
pneumonia
Boutonneuse fever
Louse-borne typhus
Rocky Mountain
spotted fever
AntiR. tsutsugamushi
Scrub typhus
AntiR. typhi
Murine typhus
Antirubella virus
German measles
Antirubeola virus
Measles
AntiToxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasmosis
AntiTreponema pallidum Syphilis
Antivaricella/zoster virus Chickenpox, shingles
AntiWest Nile virus
Encephalitis
Antiyellow fever virus
Yellow fever
HEM, KMI, TRN, VIC

AMR, BMX, MRL, VIC
AMR, IND, MRL, PBP
AMR, IND, MRL, PBP
AMR, IND, PBP
MRL, PBP, IND
HEM
GUL
BMX, GUL, GBO, HEM, IPP, WAM
MX, DIF, HEM, KMI, SCI, WAM
GUL, KMI, WAM
PBP
PBP
12.12 Anti-species globulin conjugates for indirect

Antichicken
gamma globulin (gg)
Antibovine gg
Antigoat gg
Antiguinea pig gg
Antihorse gg
Antihuman gg
Antimouse gg
Antirabbit gg
Antirat gg
ACC, AMQ, BET, HAS, KIR, SIG, SOU

ACC, AMQ, BET, COR, EYL, KIR, SOU
ACC, BET, COR, EYL, NOR, SIG
ACC, BET, COR, IMC, NOR, SIG, ZYM
ACC, AMQ, BET, COR, ICN, IMC, KIR
ACC, AMQ, BET, ICN, IMA, NOR, SIG, UNL, VEC, ZYM
ACC, BSR, EVL, HAS, SIG, SOU, UNL, ZYM
ACC, AMQ, BSR, HAS, NOR, SIG, SPR, UNL, ZYM
ACC, BSR, COR, HAS, NOR, SIG, UNL
264
12.13 Preparation of saline solutions, buffers,

fluorochrome stains, miscellaneous reagents and tests
Contents
Preparation procedures
A. General purpose saline solutions
1.
Saline, 0.15 M
2.
Phosphate buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.17.2
3.
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4
3.a PBSalbumin, 1%
3.b PBSglycerol mounting medium
4.
Carbonate buffered saline (CBS), pH 8.69.0
B. Buffers, general and special purpose

1.
Carbonatebicarbonate buffer, 0.5 M, pH 8.5 and pH 9.0
2.
Carbonatebicarbonate buffer, 0.025 M, pH 9.0
3.
Phosphate buffer, 0.2 M, pH 7.6
C. Fluorochrome stains
1. Acridine orange
Application
a.
Acridine orange (acetate, 0.15 M); pH 3.5
Body fluids, blood culture,

cerebrospinal fluid
b.
Blood smear, bacteria
c.
Blood culture, cerebrospinal

fluid, bacteria
d.
Acridine orange (phosphate, 0.15 M); pH 6.0 RNA/DNA differentiation
e.
Acridine orange (PBS); pH 7.27.4
Malaria parasites in
blood smear
Annexes
265
f.
Acridine orange (tris-HCl); pH 7.4
Malaria parasites in
blood smear
g.
Acridine orange (potassium

dihydrogen phosphate) pH 8.3
Water (bacteria)
h.
Acridine orange (borate); pH 9.8
Urine (bacteria)
i.
Acridine orange 0.5% (aqueous)
Malaria (stock solution)
j.
Acridine orange 0.1% (aqueous)
Vaginal swab (Trichomonas

vaginalis)
2. Fluorescent acid-fast stains

a.
Blair fluorescent acid-fast stain
b.
Smithwick fluorescent acid-fast stain
c.
Phenolic acridine orange acid-fast stain
D. Miscellaneous reagents
1.
Ammonium sulfate globulin precipitation solution
2.
Calcium chloride (0.1 M) differentiation solution
3.
Indirect fluorescent antibody test substrate Crithidia luciliae
4.
Merthiolate (thimerosal) preservative, pH 7.4
5.
Merthiolate (thimerosal) preservative, borated
6.
Acetone dried tissue powder
E. Reagents and tests

1.
Biuret reagent and test for protein
2.
Ammonium ion test for dialysate from globulin precipitation
266
Preparation procedures
A. General purpose saline solutions
1. Saline, 0.15
Purpose
Diluting reagents, dialysing and specimen preparation.
Parts
NaCl 8.77 g.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the NaCl in the distilled water.
2.
Filter solution through a 0.2 or 0.22 m pore size filter.
2. Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.17.2

Purpose
General purpose diluent for antisera, conjugates and reagents.
Parts
Na2HPO4, anhydrous, 1.07 g.
NaH2PO42H2O, 0.39 g.
NaCl, 8.50 g.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the salts in distilled water and make it up to 1000 mL.
2.
Make minor adjustments in pH with 1 M NaOH.
3.
Note: merthiolate (thimerosal) may be added at a 1:10 000 concentration to suppress microbial
contamination.
Annexes
267
3. Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 (PBS)

Purpose
Preparing and distilling reagents, dialysing and specimen preparation.
Parts
Stock solution (0.1 M)
NaH2PO4H2O, 2.07 g.
NaCl, 80 g.
KCl, 2 g.
H2O, distilled or deionized, to 1000 mL.
Use solution (0.01 M)
1.
Dilute the stock solution 1:10 with distilled water.
Note: thimerosal (merthiolate) may be added at a ratio of 1:10 000 or 1:5000 to suppress microbial
contamination.
3.a PBSalbumin, 1%
Parts
Stock solution PBS, pH 7.4, 10 mL.
Human serum albumin, 1 g.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve human serum albumin in PBS solution at room temperature and add
distilled water up to 100 mL.
3.b PBSglycerol mounting medium

Parts
Stock solution PBS, pH 7.4, 3.4 mL.
268
Glycerol, 6 mL.
Sodium azide, 1 g.
H2O, distilled, 31.6 mL.
Preparation
1.
Dilute stock solution PBS in distilled water; mix with potassium-free glycerol.
Add sodium azide as preservative.
4. Carbonate buffered saline, pH 8.69.0 (CBS)

Preparation
By dry weight component
pH
Na 2CO 3 NaHCO 3 NaCl
8.6
0.45 g
8.05 g
8.77 g
8.8
0.83 g
7.74 g
8.77 g
9.0
1.38 g
7.31 g
8.77 g
All solutions are brought to 1000 mL with distilled H2O by mixing stock solutions.
Stock solution 1
Na2CO3, 0.6 g.
NaCl, 8.8 g.
Stock solution 2
NaHCO3, 8.4 g.
NaCl, 8.8 g.
Filter solutions through a 0.2 or 0.22 m pore size filter.
pH
Stock solution 1 Stock solution 2
Annexes
269
8.6
42.1 mL
957.9 mL
8.8
78.2 mL
921.8 mL
9.0
130 mL
870 mL
Minor adjustments in the ratios may be required for exact pH.

B. Buffers, general and special purpose
1. Carbonatebicarbonate buffer 0.5 M; pH 8.5 and pH 9.0
Purpose
Preparation of FITCimmunoglobulin conjugates.
Parts
Solution 1
NaHCO3, 42g/L (0.5 M).
Solution 2
Na 2CO 3, 3 g/L (0.5 M).
pH
Solution 1 Solution 2
8.5
980 mL
20 mL
9.0
925 mL
74 mL
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the chemicals in the distilled water.
2.
Keep in a tightly stoppered bottle.
3.
Make small batches fresh for use rather than large batches.
Note: keep the stock solutions tightly closed in a bottle to prevent absorption of CO2 from the air.
270
2. Carbonatebicarbonate buffer 0.025 M, pH 8.5 and pH 9.0

Purpose
Conjugation of serum proteins by the dialysis method.
Parts
Solution 1
Na2CO3, anhydrous, 2.65 g.
Solution 2
NaHCO3, 2.10 g.
Preparation
Mix to yield the desired pH:
Solution 1 Solution 2
pH 8.5
1 part
49 parts
pH 9.0
1 part
12.5 parts
Add Solution 2 to Solution 1 while stirring under the electrode of a pH meter.

3. Phosphate, 0.2 M, pH 7.6
Purpose
1.
Gammaglobulin extraction from serum with DEAE Sephadex.
2.
Trypsin digestion of tissue sections.
Parts
Solution 1
NaH2PO4H2O, 2.76 g.
Annexes
271
Solution 2
Filter solutions through a 0.2 or 0.22 m pore size filter.
Preparation
Add Solution 1 to Solution 2 while stirring under the electrode of a pH meter to yield
pH 7.6. The ratio will be about 1 to 9.
C. Fluorochrome stains
1. Acridine orange
1.a Acridine orange in acetate buffer 0.15 M, pH 3.5
Purpose
Detection of bacteria in body fluids and blood cultures.
Parts
Acetate buffer pH 3.5.
Sodium acetate (C2H3O2Na3H2O), 20.4 g.
Acetic acid, glacial, 9.0 mL.
HCl, 1 M (adjust the solution to pH 3.5.).
Acridine orange stain.
Acetate buffer, pH 3.5, 190 mL.
Acridine orange, 20 mg.
Preparation
1.
Add the acridine orange powder to the buffer.
2.
Stir to dissolve the dye.
272
3.
4.
Store the stain in a brown bottle at room temperature.
1.b Acridine orange in acetate buffer 0.1 M, pH 3.5

Purpose
Detection of bacteria in blood smears.
Parts
Buffer
HCl, 1 M, 90 mL.
Stain
Acetate buffer, 190 mL.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the sodium acetate on distilled water.
2.
Add the HCl slowly while stirring.
3.
Adjust the pH to 3.5, if necessary, with 0.1 M HCl.
4.
Add the acridine orange powder to the buffer.
5.
Stir to dissolve the dye in the buffer.
6.
(Final concentration of acridine orange is about 100 mg/L.)
Annexes
1.c Acridine orange in acetate buffer, 0.2 M, pH 4.0

Purpose
Detection of bacteria in blood cultures and cerebrospinal fluid.
Parts
Buffer
Acetic acid, glacial, 12.0 mL.
Stock solution
Acridine orange, 1 g.
Store at 4 C (stable for two years).
Use stain solution
Stock solution, 0.5 mL.
Acetate buffer, 5.0 mL.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the sodium acetate in the distilled water.
2.
Add the glacial acetic acid slowly while stirring.
3.
Dissolve the acridine orange in distilled water while stirring.
4.
Add the acridine orange stock solution to the acetate buffer (1:100).
1.d Acridine orange in phosphate buffer 0.15 M, pH 6.0

Purpose
Differentiation of DNA and RNA in cells and microorganisms.
273
274
Parts
Stock buffer 1
NaH2PO4, anhydrous, 8 g.
H2O, distilled, q.s. to 1000 mL.
Stock buffer 2
Buffer solution for use
Stock buffer 1, 87.8 mL.
Stock buffer 2, 12.2 mL.
Preparation
1.
Mix the parts.
2.
Slight adjustments to this ratio may be necessary to get pH 6.0.
3.
Test the pH with a pH meter.
Stock acridine orange solution

Acridine orange, 0.1 g.
Acridine orange stain for use
Buffer solution, pH 6.0, 9 mL.
Stock acridine orange solution, 1 mL.
Preparation
1.
Prepare stain fresh for use.
2.
Store stock acridine orange solution in the dark at 4 C.
Annexes
275
1.e Acridine orange in PBS, pH 7.27.4

Purpose
Detection of malaria parasites in blood smears.
Parts
Acridine orange
0.1 g
PBS, pH 7.27.4 1000 mL

Preparation
1.
Dissolve the acridine orange in the PBS.
2.
Mix thoroughly.
3.
Store in a brown bottle.
1.f Acridine orange in tris-HCl buffer, 0.05 M, pH 7.4

Purpose
Parts
Tris-HCl, 6.61 g.
Tris base, 0.97 g.
Acridine orange, 1050 mg per 1000 mL.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the salts in the distilled water.
2.
Check the pH with a pH meter.
3.
Dissolve the acridine orange in the buffer.
276
1.g Acridine orange buffer in KH2PO4 buffer, pH 7.2

Purpose
Differential staining of bacteria in natural water samples.
Parts
KH2PO4, 13.6 g.
H2O, distilled, to1000 mL.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the KH2PO4 in the distilled water.
2.
Adjust the pH to 7.2, if necessary.
3.
Filter this buffer solution through a 0.2 or 0.22 m pore size filter.
4.
Store the filtered buffer in a sterile container that has been rinsed with filtered
water or buffer.
Acridine orange stain

KH2PO4 buffer solution, 100 mL.
Preparation
1.
Mix the acridine orange in the buffer.
2.
Store the stain in a particle free bottle, in the dark.
1.h Acridine orange in borate buffer, pH 9.8

Purpose
Differential staining of bacteria in urine specimens.
Parts
Buffer solution
Na2B4O7 (borax), 7.6 g.
Annexes
277

EDTA, 4 g.
Triton X100, 0.1 mL.
Formaldehyde, 37%39%, 77 mL.
NaOH, 1 M
to pH 9.8.
Stain
Preparation
1.
Prepare the 0.2 M borax solution.
2.
Add the other ingredients except the sodium hydroxide.
3.
While stirring under the electrode of a pH meter, adjust the solution to pH 9.8
with sodium hydroxide, 1 M.
4.
Dissolve the acridine orange in distilled water.
5.
Filter both solutions through 0.45 mm pore size membrane filters.
6.
Store the acridine orange solution in an amber bottle at room temperature.
1.i Acridine orange, aqueous 0.5%

Purpose
Parts
278
1.j Acridine orange, aqueous 0.1%

Purpose
Detection of Trichomonas vaginalis in vaginal swab specimens.
Parts
2. Fluorescent acid-fast stains
2.a Blair fluorescent acid-fast stain
Purpose
Rapid, efficient detection of acid-fast bacilli in sputum smears.
Reagents
Auramine Ophenol
Auramine O, 0.1 g.
Ethanol, 95% (alternative: absolute methanol), 10 mL.
Phenol crystals (colourless), 3 g.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the auramine O in the ethanol.
2.
Dissolve the phenol crystals in the distilled water.
3.
Mix the two solutions.
Acidalcohol
HCl, concentrated, 0.5 mL.
Ethanol, 70% (alternative: methanol), 100 mL.
1.
Add the HCl to the ethanol.
Annexes
Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) background quencher

KMnO4, 0.5 g.
1.
Dissolve the potassium permanganate in the distilled water.
Alternative counterstains for auramine O acid-fast stain

Evans blue counterstain
Evans blue, 0.1 g.
Stain washed smear for 1 to 2 minutes.
Background fluoresces reddish.
Ink, blue counterstain
Ink, blue (Pelikan 4001), 100 mL.
Stain washed smear for 1 minute.
Methylene blue counterstain
Methylene blue, 0.3 g.
Background fluoresces greenish.
Thiazine red counterstain
Thiazine red, 0.1%, pH 7.0, 850 mL.
Magnesium chloride, 2%, 100 mL.
Aqueous phenol (90%), 50 mL.
279
280
2.b Smithwick fluorescent acid-fast stain

Purpose
Detection of acid-fast bacilli in sputum smears with a colour contrast background.
Reagents
Auramine Ophenol fluorescent stain
Auramine O, 0.1 g.
Ethanol, 95% (or absolute methanol), 10 mL.
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the auramine O in ethanol.
2.
Dissolve the phenol crystals in the water.
3.
Mix the two solutions.
Acid alcohol
HCl, concentrated
0.5 mL
Ethanol, 70% (or absolute methanol)

1.
100 mL
Add the hydrochloric acid to the ethanol.
Acridine orange counterstain

1.
Dissolve the disodium hydrogen phosphate in the water.
2.
Dissolve the acridine orange in this solution.
3.
Store this counterstain in an amber bottle at room temperature.
Annexes
281
2.c Phenolic acridine orange acid-fast stain

Purpose
Efficient fluorescent acid-fast stain for detection of acid-fast bacilli in sputum and
other specimens with a contrasting fluorescence colour background.
Reagents
Acridine orange reagent
H2O (distilled or deionized), 50 mL.
Glycerol, 25 mL.
Ethanol, 95%, 25 mL.
Preparation
1.
Mix the first four ingredients, then add the acridine orange.
2.
Allow the solution to rest overnight, and stir it again.
3.
Acidalcohol destain solution

Ethanol, 95%, 74 mL
H2O, deionized, 26 mL
HCl, concentrated, 0.5 mL
Methylene blue, 0.2 g
1.
Mix the ingredients in order.
2.
Store the destain solution in a brown bottle at room temperature.
282
D. Miscellaneous reagents
1. Ammonium sulfate globulin precipitation solution
Purpose
Precipitation of serum globulins.
Stock solution of saturated ammonium sulfate
(NH4)2SO4, anhydrous, 75.4 g.
Working solutions of ammonium sulfate
Saturated H2O parts Use dilution
Stock parts (distilled) % (NH 4) 2SO 4
Final %
in serum
10
100
50
90
45
80
40
70
35
60
30
2. Calcium chloride (0.1 M) differentiation reagent

Purpose
Enhanced differentiation of DNA and RNA in tissue.
Parts
CaCl2, -1.47 g
Annexes
283
3. Indirect fluorescent antibody test substrate, Crithidia luciliae

Purpose
Detection of anti-DNA antibodies (See Section 7.9.2.3).
Crithidia luciliae preparations are available from the American Tissue Type
Culture Collection and from commercial sources. The microorganisms must be
stored at 70 C. They are grown at 2025 C.
Preparation of Crithidia luciliae for testing
1.
Wash Crithidia luciliae suspension three times with PBS at pH 7.4.
2.
Centrifuge the suspension at 3000g.
3.
Resuspend in distilled water to give a concentration of 20 million organisms/

mL.
4.
Place 10 L of the suspension on a slide.
5.
Dry in ventilated air.
6.
Fix with 96% ethanol and incubate with patients serum to be tested.
4. Merthiolate (thimerosal) preservative, pH 7.4

Purpose
Suppression of microbial growth in conjugates, serum, and reagents.
Stock solution, 1%
Thimerosal, 1.0 g.
PBS, pH 7.4, q.s. to 100 mL.
Store in a dark bottle at 04 C.
Use (final concentration 1:10 000)
a. Serum, conjugates, etc.
0.01 mL of stock solution per 1.0 mL of sample.
b. PBS
0.1 g thimerosal powder per 1000 mL of PBS.
284
5. Merthiolate (thimerosal) preservative, borated

Purpose
Preservation of serum, conjugates, and buffered saline.
Stock solution, 1%
Na2B4O7 (borax), 1.4 g.
Thimerosal, 1.0 g.
Use
Final concentration 1:10 000 thimerosal.
Serum, conjugate, etc., 0.01 mL per 1 mL of sample.
6. Acetone dried tissue powder
Purpose
Tissue powders are prepared for sorption of conjugate to remove non-specific
staining.
Reagents
Normal tissue (brain, liver, etc.), about 100500 g.
Phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 at 4 C.
Pre-cooled acetone, 4 C.
Pre-cooled distilled water, 4 C.
Preparation
1.
Weigh the tissue and record the weight.
2.
Add a volume of pre-cooled distilled water equal to the weight of the tissue.
3.
Homogenize the tissue in a Waring (or other) blender. Turn the blender on and
off in short intervals during the grinding to avoid heating.
Annexes
285
4.
Pour the homogenate into a large beaker (about 5 times the volume of the
homogenate). Place the beaker on a magnetic stirrer.
5.
Add four volumes of pre-cooled acetone and continue the mixing for 5 minutes.
6.
Centrifuge the mixture at 500g for 10 minutes in a refrigerated centrifuge, 4 C.

Use large (150250 mL) centrifuge bottles.
7.
Decant the supernatant and add cold PBS, pH 7.4, while stirring the sediment
well.
8.
Centrifuge at 500g for 10 minutes as above. Decant the supernatant.
9.
Repeat steps 7 and 8 until the supernatant is clear.
10. Resuspend the sediment in a minimal amount of cold PBS.

11. Strain the suspension through fine cheesecloth into a large beaker on a
magnetic stirrer.
12. Rinse the bottles with cold PBS and pour the rinsing through the cheesecloth.
(Note: it may be necessary to rub the material through the cheesecloth with the aid of a stirring
rod.)
13. Add four volumes of precooled acetone to the strained material. (Volumes are
based on the original volume of tissue homogenate.)
14. Centrifuge the suspension as before and decant the supernatant.
15. Resuspend the sediment in pre-cooled acetone.
16. Centrifuge the suspension again.
17. Repeat steps 13 and 14 until the supernatant is clear.
18. Resuspend the sediment in a small amount of acetone, and filter it through a
Buckner funnel with suction using Whatman #52 filter paper.
19. Wash the material on the filter paper with several volumes of cold acetone.
Stir the material during this phase, being careful not to tear the filter paper.
When dry, the tissue powder should have a powdery feeling when rubbed
between the thumb and forefinger.
286
20. Transfer the powder to Petri dishes and place it in the 37 C incubator
overnight.
21. Transfer the tissue powder to a dark brown bottle and store in a refrigerator.
Note: tissue powder preparations of whole organs are used to reduce nonspecific staining. It is impractical, however, to prepare powders of tissue
culture material in an effort to reduce non-specific staining of tissue culture
infected material. Wet packed normal tissue culture cells may be used. In this
case, there may be some dilution of the conjugate.
Use
1.
Measure an aliquot of conjugate into a plastic centrifuge tube.
2.
Add 100 mg of tissue powder per 1 mL of conjugate and mix.
3.
Agitate the mixture for 1 hour at room temperature.
4.
Centrifuge the mixture, 30 000g at 015 C for 30 minutes.
5.
Decant the supernatant conjugate and measure it into another plastic centrifuge
tube.
6.
Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4.
7.
Filter the conjugate, if desired (0.45 mm pore size membrane filter).
8.
Place the conjugate in an appropriate storage container. Add thimerosal (1:10

000 final concentration) for preservation.
9.
Store the conjugate in small aliquots in a freezer (20 C) or in a refrigerator

(04 C).
Reference
Coons AH, 1958.
Annexes
287
E. Reagents and tests

1. Biuret reagent and test for protein
Purpose
Biuret test for amount of serum protein.
Materials
CuSO45H2O, 1.5 g.
NaKC4H4O6H2O (sodium potassium tartarate), 6.0 g.
KI, 1.0 g.
NaOH (10% solution, carbonate-free), 300 mL.
Method
1.
Dissolve the copper sulfate and the sodium potassium tartarate in a 1L

volumetric flask, in about 500 mL of distilled water.
2.
Dissolve the potassium iodide.
3.
Add, while swirling, 300 mL of 10% NaOH.
4.
Bring the solution to 1000 mL with distilled water.
5.
Mix thoroughly, and store the reagent solution in the dark in a plastic bottle (not
glass). Discard the solution if a black or red precipitate forms.
Protein determination
Method
1.
Prepare a 1:10 dilution (0.2 mL sample + 1.8 mL of 0.15 M NaCl solution) or a

1:20 dilution (0.1 mL + 1.9 mL) of the sample.
2.
Prepare a blank using 2.0 mL of 0.15 M NaCl.
3.
Add 8 mL biuret reagent to the samples and the blank.
4.
Let stand for 30 minutes.
288
5.
Read % transmittance of the samples in relation to the blank at 540 nm on a

spectrophotometer.
6.
Determine sample protein concentrations from the standard protein curve.
Preparation of protein calibration curve

1.
Use a protein standard in the range of 6 to 10 g per 100 mL.
2.
Prepare dilutions in the range of 80, 60, 40, 20 and 10 mg/mL.
3.
Use these dilutions to develop a curve.
4.
Plot a curve of % transmittance against protein concentrations. Use semi-log

graph paper.
5.
Prepare a new curve for each new batch of biuret reagent.
Reagents
0.15 M NaCl
NaCl, 8.77 g.
Biuret reagent
CuSO4 5H2O, 1.5 g.
NaKC4H4O64H2O (sodium potassium tartrate), 6.0 g.
KI, 1.0 g.
NaOH (10% solution, carbonate-free), 300 mL.
H2O, distilled, q.s to 1000 mL.
References
Gornall AG et al., 1949; Dedmon RE et al., 1965.
Annexes
289
2. Ammonium ion test for dialysate from globulin precipitation

Purpose
Testing of dialysate from dialysis of ammonium sulfateprecipitated globulin
solutions for freedom from ammonium ions.
Reagents
Ammonium sulfate, 1:50 000 (positive control).
Weigh 1 g of (NH4)2SO4 into a volumetric flask, and q.s. to 1000 mL with PBS
(yields 1:1000 stock solution)
1 mL 1:1000 stock + 49 mL PBS = 1:50 000
1 mL 1:1000 stock + 24 mL PBS = 1:25 000
1 mL 1:1000 stock + 9 mL PBS = 1:10 000
Phosphate buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.4
KOH, 20%.
Nessler reagent.
HgI2, 45.5 g.
KI, 34.9 g.
KOH, 10 M 200 mL (112 g q.s. to 200 mL).
Preparation
1.
Dissolve the salts in about 500 mL of distilled water.
2.
Add the KOH solution, and dilute to 1000 mL.
3.
Decant the clear supernatant liquid.
4.
Store it in a plastic bottle or in a paraffin lined glass bottle.
290
Method
Set up three test tubes containing the solutions as shown in the following chart:
Item
Dialysate
1:50 000 (NH4)2SO4*
PBS, pH 7.4
Nessler reagent
20% KOH
Mixture
15.0 mL
Controls
Positive
Negative
15.0 mL
2.0 mL
2.5 mL
Mix
2.0 mL
2.5 mL
Mix
15.0 mL
2.0 mL
2.5 mL
Mix
A yellow-brown colour equals a positive test. Compare the test mixture to the
controls.
*Positive controls at other concentrations may be used if desired.
Reference
Laboratory procedures in clinical chemistry and urinalysis. US Army Technical
Manual T M 8-227-6, January 1964.
13. Bibliography
13.1 Fluorochrome dye fluorescence microscopy

applications
Clinical bacteriology (excluding blood infections and tuberculosis)
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Fluorescent antibody counterstaining

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Enzyme treatment of tissue sections

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WHO Regional Publications, Eastern Mediterranean Series 28

World Health Organization

WHO Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis

Applications of fluorescence microscopy

Equipment for fluorescence microscopy

Practical fluorescence microscopy

Principles of immunofluorescence microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring

Fluorescence microscopy for environmental monitoring

Preparation and fluorochrome labelling of antibodies

10. Characterization of antisera and conjugates

History of fluorescence microscopy

In countries with limited resources simple, rapid and cost-effective diagnostic

bright-field acid-fast microscopy

bovine serum albumin

colony forming unit

direct fluorescent antibody

Eagles minimum essential medium

fluorescence acid-fast microscopy

indirect fluorescence antibody

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring

upper respiratory tract infections

Affinity: tendency of certain substances or their compounds to unite with other

Fluorescence is light produced by a substance when it is stimulated by another

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring

1.1 Principle of fluorescence

1.2 Primary and secondary fluorescence

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring

Figure 1.1 Scheme showing the origin of fluorescence radiation

introduced into these materials. Fluorescence emission from untreated materials is

1.3 Fluorescence in microscopy specimens

A fluorescence microscope delivers the exciting light to the specimen,

Easy. Preparing and staining fluorescence test specimens is as easy as, or

Sensitive. Due to the relatively bright fluorescent image against a dark

Specific. By using modern fluorochromes and interference light filters, high

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring

of wrong observations or differences in test interpretation are reduced, even

Universal. Fluorescence microscopy can be applied to a wide range of

Adaptable. Fluorescence microscopy methods can replace and improve many

Table 2.1 Fluorescence microscopy applications

Industrial process control

Autoimmune disease diagnosis

Environment microorganism monitoring

Biological attack defence

Industrial process control

Applications of fluorescence microscopy

2.1 Medical disease diagnosis and monitoring

2.2 Monitoring of the environment

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring

2.3 Food sanitation and safety

Applications of fluorescence microscopy

such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes can be detected.

2.4 Biological research

Fluorescence microscopy for disease analysis and monitoring of the enviroment

3. Equipment for fluorescence

3.1 Basic fluorescence microscope parts

compound microscope (basic platform and lenses)

high-power illuminator (excitation light)

exciter light filter (selects light colour)

dichroic mirror (reflects or passes certain light coloursepifluorescence only)

barrier filter (blocks low wavelength light).

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring

Figure 3.1 Schematic diagram of a fluorescence microscopy system

3.2 Compound light microscopes for fluorescence

transmitted light (excitation illumination through the specimen, usually from

epi-illumination (incident light shining on the surface of the specimen).

Transmitted-light fluorescence microscopy usually needs a dark-field

Equipment for fluorescence microscopy

It is important to understand that a primary concern in fluorescence microscopy

wavelength of the exciting light

numerical aperture (NA) of the objective lens

In order to see the relatively weak fluorescence light, it is necessary to suppress

Fluorescence microscopy for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring

Equipment for fluorescence microscopy

Figure 3.2a Optical arrangement of transmitted fluorescence microscopy