Question

A section of ileum stained with Fontana-Masson shows marked black precipitate on top of the sections. This could be prevented in the future by:

a. using chemically cleaned glassware
b. increasing the incubation time
c. omitting the use of a reducer
d. using the silver immediately after preparation

Answer 1

To prevent the marked black precipitate on top of the sections when using Fontana-Masson staining, the student should omit the use of a reducer (option c).

Step-by-step explanation:

To prevent the marked black precipitate on top of the sections in the future when using Fontana-Masson staining, the student should omit the use of a reducer (option c). The reducer is responsible for producing the black precipitate, so by not using it, the marking can be avoided. The other options, using chemically cleaned glassware (option a), increasing the incubation time (option b), and using the silver immediately after preparation (option d), are not relevant to preventing the black precipitate.