IHC - Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase Test

TDT aka Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase is a highly specific marker used for the diagnosis and classification of acute lymphoblastic lymphoma. For this, a methodology named Immuno Histo Chemistry (IHC) is used. This marker plays an important part in differentiating between lymphoblastic lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma. TDT cells can be found during immunoglobin gene arrangement and along with many uses, it also plays an important role in lymphocyte maturation. Through IHC-Terminal-Deoxynucleotidyl-Transferase, both T and B lymphocytes can be found and marked in the thymus and bone marrow.

A special preparation for all the specimens, materials, and reagents is required. At the time of the test, pre-treatment reagents, detection systems, control slides, control reagents and other ancillary reagents should be available before-hand. The tissues of the specimens should be kept under the required storage and handling conditions. They should be stored at 2-8 degree Celsius. Any presence of a precipitate or an unusual odour indicates that the antibody is deteriorating and should not be used for the test. Positive and negative controls should be run simultaneously with all the specimens.

Antigen Antibody detection is a two-step process which is done with the help of Immuno Histo Chemistry (IHC). The first step is to bind the primary antibody to the desired antigen. This process can be accomplished by using the IHC manual techniques or by the automatic IHC systems. The second step is the detection of the bound antibody by the chromogen.