title: Suggested guidelines for immunohistochemical techniques in veterinary diagnostic laboratories.
abstract: This document is the consensus of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) Subcommittee on Standardization of Immunohistochemistry on a set of guidelines for immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing in veterinary laboratories. Immunohistochemistry is a powerful ancillary methodology frequently used in many veterinary laboratories for both diagnostic and research purposes. However, neither standardization nor validation of IHC tests has been completely achieved in veterinary medicine. This document addresses both issues. Topics covered include antibody selection, fixation, antigen retrieval, antibody incubation, antibody dilutions, tissue and reagent controls, buffers, and detection systems. The validation of an IHC test is addressed for both infectious diseases and neoplastic processes. In addition, storage and handling of IHC reagents, interpretation, quality control and assurance, and troubleshooting are also discussed. Proper standardization and validation of IHC will improve the quality of diagnostics in veterinary laboratories.
authors.affiliation: Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. ramosja@purdue.edu
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ramos-Vara
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiupel
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baszler
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bliven
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brodersen
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chelack
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Czub
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Del Piero
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dial
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Ehrhart
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manning
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paulsen
authors.forename: Victor E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Valli
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: West
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D000941:Antigens; D015415:Biomarkers; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards / Q000662:veterinary*; D007753:Laboratories / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000941:Antigens; D015415:Biomarkers