Eprac 1: Bacterial Diagnostic Stains Flashcards
Gram +ve bacteria
Peptidoglycan wall
Plasma membrane
Cytoplasm
Gram -ve bacteria
Outer membrane
Peptidoglycan cell wall
Inner membrane/plasma membrane (membrane protein, phospholipid)
Cytoplasm
Gram stain
Before staining (all colourless)
Crystal violet -> all cells purple
Gram’s iodine -> all cells dark purple (iodine added as a mordant (fixative) . Forms insoluble complex with crystal violet)
Alcohol -> gram +ve cells: purple; gram -ve cells: colourless (Decolourisation step: differentiating strep. Gram +ve: thick peptidoglycan cel walls which retain crystal violet/iodine dye. Gram -ve have thin peptidoglycan cell walls surrounded by layer of lipopolysaccharide. Cells leach dye when exposed to alcohol)
Carbol fuschin -> gram +ve cells purple; gram -ve pink (counterstain step-> give colour to cells rendered by colourless by alcohol -> make them visible under light microscopy)
Staining reagents
Crystal violet (primary stain)
Iodine (mordant)
Alcohol/acetone (decolouriser)
Carbol fuchsin (counterstain)
Gram stain method
- Make film, air dry then heat fix
- Flood slide with crystal violet for 30 sec -> gently wash with distilled water
- Flood slide with Grams iodine for 30 sec -> gently wash with distilled water
- Decolourise with alcohol for few sec. immediately wash gently with distilled water. Thick smears require longer but do not over-decolourise
- Counterstain with carbol fuchsin counterstain then gently wash with distilled water
Mycobacterium
Comprises acid-fast bacilli -> difficult to stain (once stained resist decolourisation with acid alcohol)
Waxy mycolic acid in cell envelop: resistant to drying which improves survival in environments. Binds carbol fuschin and cannot be removed with acid-alcohol during decolourisation step
Called acid fast bacteria
Tuberculosis
Caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis, acid fast bacterium
Highly infectious by inhalation
Droplet nuclei (coughed up from infected lungs) may float in air for several hours. 1-5um particles (consisting of 1-10 bacteria) are of such size that they evade innate defences of respiratory tract and are inhaled to level of alveoli
Diagnosing tuberculosis
Demonstrate presence of tubercle bacilli in clinical specimen, most commonly from sputum
Sputum smear examined for presence of acid-fast bacteria, by Kinyoun’s stain
Kinyoun’s stain
Staining reagents:
Kinyoun’s carbol fuchsin
3% acid alcohol
0.3% aqueous methylene blue (counterstain)
Kinyoun’s stain Method
- Smears should be fixed routinely at 75 degrees for 1hr under UV light
- Flood slide with Kinyoun’s carbol fuchsin. Stain for 10 min without heating. Do not allow slide to dry out but flood again if necessary. Do not reheat slide
- Wash with distilled water
- Decolourise with 3% acid alcohol until no more colour is seen in washings (about 2 mins). Thick smears may require longer but do not over-colourise
- Wash with distilled water.
- Counterstain with 0.3% aqueous methylene blue counterstain
Result of Kinyoun’s stain
Acid fast bacteria appear red against blue background (methylene blue counterstain)
Non-acid fast bacterium stain blue/purple
Diptheria
An acute contagious disease
Caused by gram +ve bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Organisms are highly pleomorphic organism with no particular arrangement
Diagnosing Diphtheria
Albert’s stain used to demonstrate metachromatic granules; formed in polar regions
Differential plate known as tinsdale agar is used to identify C.diptheriae
C.diptheriae colonies produce black halo around colony
Albert’s stain
Staining reagents:
Albert’s stain: Toluidine blue, Malachite green, Glacial acetic acid, Alcohol (95% ethanol), Distilled water
Gram’s iodine
Albert’s stain method
- Make film, air dry and heat fix
- Cover slide with Albert’s stain and allow to act for 5 min
- Wash in water and blot dry
- Cover slide with Gram’s iodine and allow to act for 1 min
- Wash and blot dry