What is acid-fast staining used for?

The acid-fast stain is a laboratory test that determines if a sample of tissue, blood, or other body substance is infected with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB) and other illnesses.

Which methods are used in acid-fast staining?

There are three common acid-fast staining methods, Ziehl-Neelsen (hot), Kinyoun (cold), and Auramine-Rhodamine Fluorochrome (Truant method).

Is acid-fast purple or pink?

pink
If the bacteria is acid-fast, it will appear pink. Non-acid fast bacteria will be purple or blue in color, depending on which counterstain you used.

What are two most common methods used in acid-fast staining?

Acid-fast structures can be visualized under a microscope using two principal methods, the carbolfuchsin staining, and the fluorochrome procedure. The carbolfuchsin staining comprises of the Ziehl-Neelsen method and the Kinyoun method.

Why is it important to study acid-fast bacteria?

An acid-fast bacteria (AFB) culture is done to find out if you have tuberculosis (TB) or another mycobacterial infection. Besides TB, the other main mycobacterial infections are leprosy and a TB-like disease that affects people with HIV/AIDS.

What organisms can be detected using the acid-fast procedure?

Acid-fast staining (Figure 5-39) is used to screen for the presence of Mycobacterium, Nocardia, and Legionella species in body tissues and fluids. Some oocysts, such as Cryptosporidium, can be detected with the acid-fast stain.

What color is acid-fast stain?

red
Acid Fast Strain Acid fast stains are used to differentiate acid fast organisms such mycobacteria. Acid fast bacteria have a high content of mycolic acids in their cell walls. Acid fast bacteria will be red, while nonacid fast bacteria will stain blue/green with the counterstain with the Kinyoun stain.

Who invented acid-fast staining?

Paul Ehrlich
Ziehl–Neelsen staining is a type of acid-fast stain, first introduced by Paul Ehrlich. Ziehl–Neelsen staining is a bacteriological stain used to identify acid-fast organisms, mainly Mycobacteria.

What is Albert stain?

Albert’s Metachromatic Stain demonstrates the presence of metachromatic granules found in Corynebacterium diphtheria. The granules stain purple-black against the light green counterstained cytoplasm. This helps to distinguish diphtheria from most of the short nonpathogenic diphtheroides which lack granules.

Why is acid-fast stain used for tuberculosis?

Acid-Fast Bacteria—Ziehl– Neelsen Stain This stain is used to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. Acid-fast organisms have a lipoid capsule that has a high molecular weight and is waxy at room temperature. This makes the organism impenetrable by aqueous-based staining solutions.

Why is acid-fast difficult to stain?

Acid-fast organisms have a lipoid capsule that has a high molecular weight and is waxy at room temperature. This makes the organism impenetrable by aqueous-based staining solutions. The lipoid capsule of an acid-fast organism stains with carbol-fuchsin and resists decolorization with dilute acid rinse.

What color is acid-fast negative?

light blue color
All other bacteria will stain Acid Fast negative. Acid Fast positive cells are stained the pink/red color of carbolfuchsin. Acid Fast negative cells are stained the light blue color of methylene blue.