Confocal images of skin biopsies taken from the legs of a control subject (A) and a patient with small fibre neuropathy secondary to HIV (B) showing PGP 9.5-immunoreactive fibres (red) and the basement membrane (labelled with type IV collagen fibres, green). Confocal images of skin biopsies taken from the legs of a control subject (A) and a patient with small fibre neuropathy secondary to HIV (B) showing PGP 9.5-immunoreactive fibres (red) and the basement membrane (labelled with type IV collagen fibres, green). Nerve fibres positive for PGP 9.5 (white arrows) are counted as they cross the dermal–epidermal junction. The intra-epidermal nerve fibres are absent in the patient with HIV (B) consistent with the diagnosis of small fibre neuropathy. Scale bar: 50 µm. Andreas C Themistocleous et al. Pract Neurol 2014;14:368-379 ©2014 by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd