Final answer:
Bone marrow sections show no iron stores stained with Prussian blue when strong acids are used for decalcification, leading to a false-negative due to iron removal.
Step-by-step explanation:
When sections of bone marrow reveal no iron stores after being stained with the Prussian blue technique, the most likely cause is an artifact due to decalcification with a strong acid. The process of decalcification involves removing calcium from bones or tissue samples to facilitate the cutting of thin sections for microscopy. Using a strong acid for decalcification can also remove other key elements like iron, which would be detected by the Prussian blue staining. This loss of iron stores in bone marrow sections could prevent the detection of iron and cause the staining to yield negative results.
It is essential to use the right techniques for fixation and staining in histological processing to ensure that cellular and tissue structures are preserved, and that specific components, like iron stores, are detectable. The Prussian blue staining technique specifically indicates the presence of ferric iron, so pre-treatment of the sample with strong acids can result in a false-negative if iron is leached out.