title: A novel technique to eliminate cross-contamination when making wells on slides for rabies diagnosis.
abstract: The direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) rabies diagnostic test requires demarcating desirable areas of brain tissue slip smear slides to be stained, traditionally achieved by applying paint from a tech pen or using a wax pencil to form a circle or dam-like ring or well into which rabies conjugate is expelled. Unfortunately, using these instruments poses a possibility of cross-contamination by transfer via the pen or pencil tip of rabies antigen from one slide to another. A new method was developed to avoid cross-contamination. The open end of a disposable glass test tube, dipped into a shallow reservoir of nail polish, was used to apply a dam-like ring about the slip smear area to be stained, after which the test tube was discarded, thereby precluding tissue transfer.
authors.affiliation: California Department of Health Services, Division of Communicable Disease Control, Viral & Rickettsial Diseases Laboratory Branch, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, 2nd Floor, Richmond, CA 94804, USA. awong@dhs.ca.gov
authors.forename: Anna J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Denny G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Constantine
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Wanda Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Jean C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Comb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000821:virology; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011818:Rabies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D014773:Virology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*