Hi colleagues, how long I can preserve the specimens in glutaraldehyde for electron microscope examination.
Hello Dr Noaman, are your parasites samples in which level of life cycle (adult, larvae or egg forms they have different levels of thickness and fixation may varies. I agree with Dr Elaine as TEM fixation usually covers hours only and the longest would be overnight only.
As usual, that depends. What kind of samples are you working with? You want to examine in your samples foe scanning or transmission electron microscopy? For SEM I have kept my samples (plant) in a buffered fixative solution containing glutaraldehyde and paraformaldehyde for some years and had no problems. For TEM, however, I have always performed the fixation the short as possible (hours).
Thank you Elaine, I need work in both SEM and TEM, the samples are a parasites.
Hello Dr Noaman, are your parasites samples in which level of life cycle (adult, larvae or egg forms they have different levels of thickness and fixation may varies. I agree with Dr Elaine as TEM fixation usually covers hours only and the longest would be overnight only.
Dear Dr Norman , If you want to keep the TEM sample for longer duration you can keep it in buffer solutions for two to three days at 4 degree Celsius.
You can keep it for two to three days in buffer solution after fixation in the fixative.
Hi
as i think it depends. What kind of samples are you working with.
regards
While it is of coures best to examine the samples as soon as possible, depending on the sample the tissue can be perfectly fine in buffered glutaraldehyde for weeks to months to years. For example I have kept macroscopic sarcocysts and sarcocystis infected muscle tissue in GA for months at 4°C with no noticeable deterioration of the morphological characters of the parasites. But its recommended to perform the EM work as soon as possible.
sample for longer duration you can keep it in buffer solutions for two to three days at 4 degree Celsius.
- Badges
- Science method