Staining Peripheral Smears Flashcards
A hematology Polychrome stain is also known as…
Romanowsky stain
-is a Slide stain of more than one color
What dyes make up the Romanowsky (Polychrome) stain?
• methylene blue- basic, Stains acidic cell components (DNA, RNA)
•Eosin Y- acidic, Stains basic cell components (Organelles, most proteins)
• absolute methanol- Acts as a fixative to adhere cells to the glass
The combined action of methylene blue, eosin Y, and absolute methanol produces the “_____________ effect” 
Romanowsky 
- this yields a purple coloration to leukocyte nuclei and neutrophilic granules and a pinkish color to RBCs
What are the most commonly used Romanowsky stains?
-Wright
-Giema
-Wright-Giema
Term used when nuclei and some granules within the RBC are stained by basic dyes 
Basophilic
When structures take up only acidic dyes they are called…
Eosinophilic 
What are the two types of mono
chrome stains?
Vital (Requires living cells) or non-vital
What are examples of vital monochrome stains?
-Retic stain (buffered methylene blue, Precipitates RNA from ER)
-Heinz body stain (brilliant cresyl green, Shows up denatured hemoglobin)
What is an example of a non-vital monochrome stain?
Prussian blue (KCN, HCL, and safranin, demonstrates Fe.) 
What color should RBCs stain? 
Salmon pink
What color should leukocyte nuclei stain?
Purple-blue
What color should platelets stain? 
Purple-blue To lilac cytoplasm with red-purple Granules
What color should lymphocyte cytoplasm stain?
Blue
What color should monocytes cytoplasm stain?
Grayish-blue with ground-glass appearance and some red-purple granules 
What color should neutrophil cytoplasm stain? 
Pinkish-tan. Granules scattered throughout the cytoplasm (Usually very hard to see individual granules) 
