Abstract

The present review describes a part of the author's own experience in applying immunoperoxidase staining to routine histopathological diagnosis. The target disorder was focused on infection. In the practice of pathology diagnosis services, it is important for us diagnostic pathologists to judge whether the lesion is caused by an infection or not. When an infectious disease is highly likely, the visualization of pathogens within the inflammatory lesion is required to suggest a causative agent. Two main approaches the author would like to introduce include (1) the use of commercially available antisera showing wide cross-reactivity to a variety of bacteria and (2) the use of diluted patients'sera. These immunohistochemical studies employing "low-specificity" and "high-sensitivity" probes are useful for confirming the localization of pathogen within the infectious lesion.

Keywords: infectious diseases, diagnostic immunohistochemistry, specificity, sensitivity, commercial antiserum, patient's serum, paraffin section
