Combined immunoreaction and Papanicolaou's stain on cytological smears

The method described below combines an immunoreaction with Papanicolaou's stain on cytological smears. For the immunoreaction, the avidin-biotin-complex (ABC) method was used. The method was tested on various cytological material with the monoclonal antibody lu-5 and two polyclonal antibodies (anti-keratin and anti-chymotrypsin). Wet fixation of the smears with a modified Delaunay's solution is recommended. Drying of the material impairs immunoreactivity. The main advantages of the technique are the clear-cut permanent immunostaining and the preservation of the nuclear structure, permitting a combined immuncytological characterization of cellular products and conventional cyto-diagnosis.