[Histonet] special stains QC

[Perry, Margaret]

Our lab would like to know how you handle the quality issue of verifying that the control material you use for special stains is what it's supposed to be. For example: how do you confirm that bile in a piece of liver used as a Halls control is actually bile?
We use controls for bacteria or viruses that are confirmed  by PCR, plating, or virus isolation.  If possible we like to have the case confirmed by two different tests.   If confirmed we test the paraffin blocks from that case by running a stain on them and the pathologist confirming the test positive or negative.

Margaret Perry HT(ASCP)
Dept of Veterinary and  Biomedical services
Box 2175
South Dakota State University
Brookings SD 57007
605-688-5638