Sedimentation of suspensions for diagnostic thin section electron microscopy

Diagnostic thin section electron microscopy plays a significant role in pathology and the diagnosis of emerging infectious diseases [1]. In this context preparation time is critical and has to be minimized because of obvious reasons. Several strategies have been developed to reduce the preparation time for a diagnosis. Recently, we have presented a rapid thin sectioning protocol, which allows a diagnosis within about 2 h [2]. However, time is not the sole factor affecting the diagnosis. Sensitivity in terms of detection likelihood is also of significant importance.