Histology Certification Quality Control and Quality Assurance 2

Question 1

A negative control in immunohistochemistry staining is used to:

Accepted Answer

Verify that non-specific background staining is absent

Answer

A negative control replaces the primary antibody with diluent or irrelevant antibody to confirm that any staining observed in test slides is specific and not non-specific background.

Question 2

In histology QC, a 'reagent blank' control is used to detect:

Accepted Answer

Contamination or non-specific staining produced by reagents alone

Answer

A reagent blank omits the tissue and runs all reagents on a blank substrate to detect background staining from contaminated or degraded reagents.

Question 3

According to CAP accreditation requirements, histology QC records must be retained for a minimum of:

Accepted Answer

2 years

Answer

CAP requires QC records to be retained for at least 2 years, though many labs keep records longer to comply with state regulations or institutional policies.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes 'intralaboratory QC' in histology?

Accepted Answer

Monitoring and controlling analytical processes within the same laboratory

Answer

Intralaboratory QC refers to the internal processes a lab uses to monitor its own performance, including control slides, reagent checks, instrument maintenance logs, and QC documentation.

Question 5

What is a primary advantage of using a tissue microarray (TMA) for IHC quality control?

Accepted Answer

It allows simultaneous testing of multiple tissues and antibodies on a single section

Answer

TMAs contain multiple tissue cores on one slide, enabling efficient simultaneous QC of many antibodies and tissue types with minimal reagent consumption.

Histology Certification Practice Test

Histology Certification Practice Test

Histology Certification Quality Control and Quality Assurance 2