The Selective Staining of Curious Bodies in Lymph Nodes of Patients as a Means for Diagnosis of Sarcoid

Abstract

Paraffin sections of formalin-fixed tissue from some human lymph nodes manifesting the characteristic lesions of sarcoid contain minute bodies 3-15 μ in diameter. These bodies can be stained by direct application -of Schiff's reagent adjusted to pH 3-3.5, without prior hydrolysis or oxidation. They react positively to the naphthoic acid hydrazide procedure for aldehyde, and their reactivity to both these reagents was blocked by aniline and dimedone. These reactions indicate that the peculiar bodies in sarcoid tissues contain reactive aldehydes, present either before or after the processing of the tissue.