BACTERIAL SMEAR PREP AND GRAM STAINING

Question 1

A dried preparation of bacterial cells on a glass slide.

Answer 1

BACTERIAL SMEAR

Question 2

GOOD SMEARS ARE CRITICAL FOR
DISCERNING:

Answer 2

● The morphology of cells
● The arrangement of cells
● Internal structures

Question 3

● The use of a single stain to color a bacterial cell
● Commonly used for dyes for performing simple staining are methylene blue, basic fuchsin, and crystal violet.
● These are referred to as basic dyes because they have color-bearing ionic groups (chromophores) that are positively charged (cationic)

Answer 3

SIMPLE STAINING

Question 4

SEVERAL FACTORS CAN AFFECT THE
OUTCOME OF THE PROCEDURE:

Answer 4

● It is important to use cultures that are 16 - 18 hours old
● It is critical to prepare thin smears
● Decolorization is the most critical step in the Gram stain procedure.

Question 5

Primary Stain

Answer 5

CRYSTAL VIOLET

Question 6

Mordant

Answer 6

GRAM’S IODINE

Question 7

Decolorizer

Answer 7

ACETONE ALCOHOL

Question 8

Secondary Stain

Answer 8

SAFRANIN

Question 9

● Solid, liquid or semi solid designed to support the growth of microorganisms.

Answer 9

CULTURE MEDIA