[Histonet] Re: Fite control slides

[Robert Richmond]

The Fite (or Fite-Faraco) stain is a light-microscopic acid-fast stain
with a different acid-fast extraction routine. (I don't know if it's
ever been adapted for fluorescence microscopy, but it certainly could
be.) The Fite stain is used to demonstrate Mycobacterium leprae (the
etiologic agent of Hansen disease) which is less acid-fast than
Mycobacterium leprae.

Tissue containing known Mycobacterium leprae is needed for the control
slide. Obviously, human tissue is difficult to obtain. The armadillo
(North American nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus) is both
naturally infected with M. leprae (in Louisiana), and is easily
infected experimentally. The etiologic agent is known to be identical
to the human agent. It would seem to me that infected armadillo tissue
would be an acceptable positive control. Does anyone have it
available?

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN