[Histonet] hard Tick histology

[Paula Keene Pierce]

The exoskeletons of insects are made of chitin and contain little calcium.
Lysol spray contains a type of phenol which will soften chitin. The phenol is what kills bacteria, mold, and viruses by destroying their outer shells.
Try spraying Lysol in a small container so you have a few mls. It will not evaporate. Soak the tick in this for about 10-20 minutes.
Instead, you may have a bottle of phenol sitting around somewhere.
Or DIAPHANOL (a 50 per cent solution of glacial acetic acid saturated with chlorine dioxide) is also used, but can also damage he internal tissue.
Paula Keene Pierce, BS, HTL(ASCP)HTPresidentExcalibur Pathology, Inc.5830 N Blue Lake DriveNorman, OK 73069PH 405-759-3953http://www.excaliburpathology.com

A sharp knife is nothing without a sharp eye. - Klingon Proverb 

    On Thursday, March 5, 2020, 03:26:47 PM CST, Mike Tighe via Histonet <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu> wrote:  
 
 Hello,

I was wondering if someone might have some expertise on how to prepare a hard-tick for sectioning in paraffin. I have been decalcifying to soften the exoskeleton but not sure if that even helps. I have used acid decalcifying but would EDTA be more appropriate? I have punctured the ticks and used vacuum for all steps (fixation, decalcification, dehydration etc....). Still crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!
Mike


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