Hello.
Yes, fixation in formalin followed by full strength formic acid for one
hour, is the appropriate method. The secret is to return the sections to
formalin (preferably at least overnight) following the formic acid
treatment. If you do not, your morphology will suffer. I recommend
checking out the CDC website, it is an excellent resource.          (
www.cdc.gov )Also, I encourage taking just a few "scout" sections of the
suspected CJD brain and doing the formic acid treatment, leaving the
remainder in formalin. If those sections rule out CJD, you still have
the other tissue in formalin to process routinely.
Please don't hesitate to contact me "off-List" if you need more
information. This was a VERY BRIEF answer to your question and in no way
is intended to be a full fledged protocol -flame resistant suit here I
come :)
Have a great week.

Jennifer L. Hofecker, HT(ASCP)
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Division of Neuropathology 
Nashville, TN
ph. (615)343-0083
fax. (615)343-7089
NSH Quality Control Committee Chair
 
 


-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of
crochieresteve@aol.com
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 12:50 PM
To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: [Histonet] cjd brain tissue


Does anyone have any experience processing possible cjd brain tissue. My
procedure diicates fixation in formalin followed by treatment in formic
acid. Does this acid harm the morphology? Also, have there been any
documented cases of a haito tech contracting cjd from a specimen? just
wondering on the second question sc
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