A pigment may accumulate in tissues infected with malaria. This shares a number of features with formalin pigment.
Features of the pigment:
(1) brown or brownish-black
(2) birefringent (anisotropic)
Malarial pigment deposition may be heavy in:
(1) macrophages
(2) hyperparasitemia with Plasmodium falciparum
The best way to remove the pigment is to:
(1) Place a deparaffinized section in 70% ethyl alcohol.
(2) Place the section in 10% ammonium hydroxide made up in 70% ethyl alcohol for at least 15 minutes.
(3) Rinse in distilled water then stain.
Treatment in saturated alcoholic picric acid can also remove the pigment but this requires 12-24 hours of treatment.
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Specialty: Clinical Laboratory
