Decay of methyl green-pyroninophilia in Burkitt's lymphoma.

The spontaneous decay of methyl green-pyroninophilia in Burkitt's lymphoma was studied at four temperatures (0 degrees C to 56 degrees C) in four biopsies using Kurnick's method. The decay is temperature and time related and is presumably due to intrinsic enzymatic action, probably ribonuclease. Imprints from tumor tissue preserved at 0 degrees C lose pyroninophilia by six hours; from tumor preserved at room temperature pyroninophilia, in most instances, would have been lost by three hours, from tumor tissue maintained at 37 degrees C, by two hours in most instances and by 15 minutes at 56 degrees C in most instances. The absence of pyroninophilia after these intervals at the appropriate temperatures should not detract from the diagnosis of Burkitt's Lymphoma.