| abstract |
A fixative solution for fixing biological smears, such as blood smears, to a slide for subsequent staining of the smear, which can be used in automated slide staining equipment, includes a fixative liquid, a stabilizing agent to reduce water spotting problems during fixing and/or to stabilize cellular components of the smear, and a solubilizing agent for maintaining the stabilizing agent in solution in the solubilizing agent after evaporation of the fixative liquid to thereby prevent formation of the solid residue normally formed by the stabilizing agent upon evaporation of the fixative liquid. The invention also includes the method fo preventing formation of a solid residue upon evaporation of the fixative liquid from a fixative liquid-stabilizing agent solution by the addition of a solubilizing agent thereto. The mixture of the stabilizing agent and solubilizing agent can be made as a concentrated additive to be added to a fixative liquid prior to use. The preferred stabilizing agent is polyvinyl pyrrolidone and the preferred solubilizing agent is ethylene glycol. |