Term
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Definition
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Term
| Crystal violet stain and methylene blue stain |
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Definition
| Use: Reveals size, morphology, and arrangement of cells. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Gram-positive cells are purple; Gram negative cells are pink. |
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Term
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Definition
| Use: Differentiates between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, which is typically the first step in their identification. |
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Term
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Definition
| Pink to red acid-fast cells and blue non-acid-fast cells. |
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Term
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Definition
| Use: Distinguishes the genera Mycobacterium and Nocardia from other bacteria. |
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Term
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Definition
| Green endospores and pink to red vegetative cells. |
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Term
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Definition
| Use: Highlights the presence of endospores produced by species in the genera Bacillus and Clostridium. |
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Term
| Negative stain for capsules |
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Definition
| Background is dark, cells unstained or stained with simple stain. |
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Term
| Negative stain for capsules |
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Definition
| Use: Reveals bacterial capsules. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bacterial flagella become visible. |
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Term
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Definition
| Use: Allows determination of number and location of bacterial flagella. |
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Term
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Definition
1. Flood the smear with the basic dye crystal violet for 1 minute and rinse with water. This primary stain colors all cells.
2. Flood the smear with an iodine solution for 1 minute and rinse with water. The iodine binds to the dye and makes it less soluble. The cells remain purple.
3. Rinse the smear with ethanol and acetone for to break down the thin cell walls of negative cells, making them appear colorless.
4. Flood the smear with safranin and rinse with water to make the negative cells appear pink. |
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Term
| Steps to an acid-fast stain |
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Definition
1. Cover the smear with a small piece of tissue paper to retain the dye during the procedure.
2. Flood the slide with the red primary stain, carbolfuchsin, while warming it over steaming water. Hear is used to drive the stain through the waxy wall into the cell.
3. Remove tissue paper and decolorize the smear by rinsing it with HCl and alcohol. This removes color from both the background and non-acid-fast cells. Acid-fast cells stay red.
4. Counterstain with methylene blue, which stains the bleached non-acid-fast cells. |
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