THE DEMONSTRATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF WATER SOLUBLE BLOOD GROUP O (H) ANTIGEN IN TISSUE SECTIONS USING A FLUORESCEIN LABELLED EXTRACT OF ULEX EUROPEUS SEED

Abstract

A fluorescein labelled extract of Ulex europeus seed was found to be satisfactory for demonstrating water soluble H antigen in formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections. Commercially available anti-A typing serum was labelled with fluorescein and used to demonstrate water soluble A antigen in formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues. The reactivity of A and H antigen after neutral buffered formalin fixation was superior to that observed after Zenker's, Helly's or Bouin's fixation; reactivity in paraffin sections of formalin fixed tissues were equal to that of fresh frozen sections. Autolysis did not prevent the demonstration of blood group antigen A or H in fixed paraffin embedded tissues but was associated with some diffusion of the antigens.