Application of Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy for the Visualization of in Lung Tissue Samples with Weak Ziehl-Neelsen Staining.

One of the key requirements for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis is the identification of in tissue. In this paper, we present the advantages of specific fluorescent antibody labelling, combined with laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), for the detection of in histological specimens of lung tissues. We demonstrate that the application of LSCM allows: (i) The automatic acquisition of images of the whole slice and, hence, the determination of regions for subsequent analysis; (ii) the acquisition of images of thick (20-40 μm) slices at high resolution; (iii) single bacteria identification; and (iv) 3D reconstruction, in order to obtain additional information about the distribution, size, and morphology of solitary ; as well as their aggregates and colonies, in various regions of tuberculosis inflammation.