Application of the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC-peroxidase) technique to the identification of human papillomavirus antigens on semithin sections by electron microscopy.

A post-embedding immunohistochemical method using avidin-biotin peroxidase complex (ABC-peroxidase) is described for localizing specific antigens for papillomavirus on semithin sections of human warts fixed and embedded in epoxy resins for conventional electron microscopy. The use of very specific and sensitive antibodies and the etching procedure with a saturated solution of sodium ethoxide appears to give good results. Results indicate that this method applied routinely on semithin sections, before the ultrastructural examination, may be suitable as a screening method for positive cells, which will be further examined by electron microscopy.