Special Stains- Endospore Flashcards
Endospore stains are needed because
Endospores do not stain with Gram Staining due to their highly resistant protein coats of keratin
What are endospores?
specialized , Dormant structures made by Bacillus & Clostridium bacterial genera that allow the bacterium to survive harsh conditions
Endospore Stain Technique
Primary Stain (Malachite Green) (with or w/o gentle heating , rinse w/ distilled water, (removes primary stain from everything but the spores) Counterstain (Safranin) added
Results of endospore stain include
Spores will be stained green, while cells will be pink
Endospore Technique with times
Malachite Green (5 mins), rinse w/ distilled water, Safranin for 30 seconds, Rinse, blot dry
Endospore staining is a differential/ structural stain that identifies
spores in Gram Positive bacterias
Bacterias (that can) form endospores
do so when exposed to harsh conditions (like starvation)
When vegetative cell dies,
endospore is released
Because spores are highly resistant to dye, what is used to drive the primary stain of ________ to color smear?
heat is used to drive primary stain of malachite green