In the Gordon and Sweet reticulin stain, reticulin fibers are stained grey and appear broken and discontinuous. Which of the following is a documented cause?

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The key idea is that reticulin fibers are demonstrated by silver impregnation in the Gordon and Sweet stain. If the reticulin appears grey and the network looks broken or discontinuous, it points to under-impregnation during the silver step—there wasn’t enough time for silver ions to penetrate and deposit along the delicate reticulin network. Extending the time in the silver solution, using fresh, active silver, helps achieve a continuous, darker network.

Other factors can affect staining quality, but they produce different patterns: using old or weak ammonium hydroxide changes the chemistry of the silver solution and typically yields weak or uneven staining; excessive heating can damage tissue and create artifacts; insufficient washing tends to cause nonspecific background or precipitation rather than cleanly broken fibers.