Chapter 10 Microorganisms Flashcards
Bacteria
Single celled organisms widely distributed in nature
Each cell is a complete organism
Peptidoglycan cell walls (mucopolysaccharide)
Cocci
Spherical or ovoid in shape
diplococci: pairs
staphylococci: grape-like clusters MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus)
Streptococci: chains (streptococcus pneumoniae)
Bacilli
Rod shaped bacteria
Clostridia tetani, Clostridia botulinum, and Bacillus anthracis)
Spirochetes
Spiral or corkscrew shaped bacteria Treponema pallidum (syphilis), Borrellia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)
Mycobacteria
Do not form cell walls
rod shaped, sometimes exhibit fungus-like growth
large amounts of lipid in the cell wall
acid fast (because they resist acid decolorization)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and leprae
Fungi
Unicellular or multi-cellular primitive “plants” that have a distinct membrane bound nucleus containing genetic material
Filamentous or molds (Aspergillus fumigatus)
Yeasts (Cryptococcus neoformans)
Yeast-like (Candida albicans)
Viruses
Made of DNA/RNA and a protein coat that infect living cells and hijack cellular machinery to replicate
Yeasts
single round or oval cells that reproduce by budding
Cryptococcus neoformans
Protozoans
Single-celled microorganisms that are functionally complex structures
Classified by type of locomotion
Amebae via pseudopodia (Entamoeba histolytica)
Others via cilia or flagella (Giardia lamblia, Toxoplasma gondii)
Kinyoun AFB Purpose
Detect acid-fast mycobacteria
Kinyoun AFB Principle
Mycobacteria are not easily Gram stained because their cells walls are not permeable with basic fuchsin due to high lipid content
Alcoholic acid solutions are used to give a more consistent stain decolorization
Staining is enhanced by both phenol and alcohol in the carbofuchsin solution
Kinyoun AFB Preferred Fixative
10% NBF, NOT Carnoy which will overdifferentiate slides due to alcohol acetic acid, and chloroform
Control: uterus
Kinyoun AFB Basic Procedure
- Deparaffinize, hydrate. Remove mercury precipitate with Iodine and hypo solutions if necessary (if mercury fixative used)
- Stain in Kinyoun carbol-fuchsin for 1 hour (stain can be re-used)
- Wash in running tap water
- Differentiate in 1% acid alcohol until tissue is pale pink
- Wash in running tap water
- Counterstain in working methylene blue solution until sky blue (DON’T overstain)
- Rinse in tap water
- Dehydrate, clear, coverslip
Kinyoun AFB Results
Acid-fast bacteria: bright red
Background: light blue
Kinyoun AFB Technical Notes
Don’t use tap water which can contain acid-fast organisms
Do no overcounterstain or it will mask microorganisms
Must wash acid out of tissue before counterstaining or it won’t work
Ziehl Neelson AFB Purpose
Detection of acid-fast bacteria
Ziehl Neelson AFB Principle
Mycobacteria are not easily Gram stained because their cells walls are not permeable with basic fuchsin due to high lipid content
Alcoholic acid solutions are used to give a more consistent stain decolorization
Staining is enhanced by both phenol and alcohol in the carbofuchsin solution
Ziehl Neelson AFB Preferred Fixative
Any but Carnoy (because of alcohol and acetic acid content that causes overdifferentiation)
Control: tissue containing acid-fast organisms
Ziehl Neelson AFB Basic Procedure
- Deparaffinize, hydrate.
- Stain with freshly filtered carbol-fuchsin
- Wash in running tap water
- Decolorize in 1% acid alcohol until tissue is pale pink
- Wash in running tap water
- Counterstain in working methylene blue solution until sky blue (DON’T overstain)
- Rinse in tap water
- Dehydrate, clear, coverslip
Ziehl Neelson AFB Results
Acid-fast bacteria: bright red
Background: light blue
Ziehl Neelson AFB Technical Notes
Don’t use tap water which can contain acid-fast organisms
Do no overcounterstain or it will mask microorganisms
Must wash acid out of tissue before counterstaining or it won’t work
Fite Purpose
Detection of Mycobacterium leprae
Fite Principle
Lipoid capsule of the organism takes up carbol-fuchsin and resists decolorization with dilute mineral acid
Fite Preferred Fixative
10% NBF, NO CARNOY
Control: tissue containing leprosy organisms
Fite Basic Procedure
- Deparaffinize with Xylene-peanut oil mixture
- Drain sections, wipe off excess oil, and blot to opacity. Residual oil helps prevent shrinkage and injury to the sections
- Stain in Ziehl Neelsen carbol-fuchsin
- Wash in water
- Differentiate in 1% acid alcohol
- Wash in water
- Counterstain with methylene blue
- Rinse in water
- Blot sections and let air dry completely
- Mount with synthetic resin such as Permount (Do not use alcohol and xylene!)
Fite Results
M. leprae and other acid-fast bacteria: bright red
Background: light blue
Fite Technical Notes
To demonstrate Nocardia species: stain in carbol-fuchsin for 10 minutes (time is critical), Decolorize in sulfuric acid to remove background color (also uses a weaker acid alcohol for differentiation)
Alcohol must be avoided because leprae and Nocardia are weakly acid-fast and not alcohol-fast
Acid-fastness of leprosy is enhanced when the waxy capsule is protected by a mixture of peanut oil and xylene and also by avoiding dehydrating solutions (alcohol)
Auramine-Rhodamine Purpose
Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other acid-fast organisms
Auramine-Rhodamine Principle
Mycolic acid in cell walls has an affinity for the fluorochromes auramine and rhodamine. These dyes bind to mycobacteria and fluoresce. Both are basic dyes and fluoresce at short wavelengths. Stain better together than individually
Auramine-Rhodamine Preferred Fixative
10% NBF
Control: tissue containing acid-fast bacteria
Auramine-Rhodamine Basic Procedure
- Deparaffinize, hydrate
- place slides in stain solution and microwave
- Rinse in distilled water
- Differentiate in acid alcohol
- Rinse in distilled water
- Stain in eriochrome Black T (quench?)
- rinse in water
- Stain slides on end and let air dry
- Dip in xylene and coverslip
- Examine with fluorescent microscope
Auramine-Rhodamine Results
Acid-fast organisms: reddish-yellow
Background: black
Auramine-Rhodamine Technical Notes
Extremely sensitive method that is highly specific for mycobacteria, but there is an increased chance of false positives
Slides can be re-stained with carbol-fuchsin for confirmation if the results are questionable, but carbol fuchsin stains can’t be followed by auramine-rhodamine
Au-Rho is more likely to stain dead and dying organisms than carbol fuchsin
Brown-Hopps Gram Stain Purpose
Demonstrate gram + and gram - bacteria in tissue
Brown-Hopps Gram Stain Principle
- Crystal violet stain followed by iodine mordant to form lake (both + and - organisms are stained) + peptidoglycan walls are thicker than -
- The large crystal violet-iodine complex only washes out of gram - because the thinner wall is easily disrupted by alcohol or acetone. If a gram + cell wall is disrupted it will stain gram -
- After decolorization counterstain is applied to gram - organisms
Brown-Hopps Gram Stain Preferred Fixative
10% NBF
Control: sections with both gram + and - bacteria
Brown-Hopps Gram Stain Basic Procedure
- Deparaffinize, hydrate
- Stain with crystal violet
- Rinse in distilled water
- Stain slides with Gram Iodine
- Rinse slides in distilled water to remove excess iodine
- blot one side at a time with slightly damp filter paper and decolorize in acetone
- Rinse slides in water
- Stain with working basic fuchsin
- Rinse in distilled water
- Differentiate with Gallego solution (formalin+glacial acetic acid)
- Rinse in distilled water and blot sections, but do not blot to dryness
- Quickly dip slides in acetone
- Quickly dip slides in periodic-acid acetone
- quickly dip slides in acetone
- Pass slides through acetone-xylene mix 1:2 then clear with xylene
- Coverslip
Brown-Hopps Gram Stain Results
Gram positive bacteria: blue
Gram negative bacteria: red
Background tissue: yellow
Nuclei: light red
Brown-Hopps Gram Stain Technical Notes
Modification is preferred method for gram - and rikettsia, while original Brown and Brenn is preferred for gram +
Decolorization works better if picric-acid acetone is near anhydrous, but don’t drop below 10% water because of explosiveness
Do not let sections dry or insoluble residue will form
Gram + will not stain correctly if patient is on antibiotics
McDonald’s Gram Stain Purpose
Demonstrate gram + and gram - bacteria in tissue
McDonald’s Gram Stain Principle
- Gentian violet stain followed by iodine mordant to form lake (both + and - organisms are stained) + peptidoglycan walls are thicker than -
- The large gentian violet-iodine complex only washes out of gram - because the thinner wall is easily disrupted by alcohol or acetone. If a gram + cell wall is disrupted it will stain gram -
- After decolorization with Gram’s decolorizer counterstain (Tartrazine) is applied to gram - organisms