Stains Flashcards
Verhoeff-van Gieson (VVG)
targets elastic fibers, collagen, and connective tissue; most commonly used collagen/elastin stain; distinguishes between various perforating diseases
Masson trichrome
targets collagen fibers, smooth muscle; stains the inclusions (red) in infantile digital fibromatosis
Movat’s pentachrome
targets elastic fibers, collagen, smooth muscle, fibrin; stains the inclusions (red) in infantile digital fibromatosis
Phosphotungistic acid hematoxylin (PTAH)
targets collagen, smooth muscle, fibrin; stains the inclusions (blue) in infantile digital fibromatosis
Oil-red-O
targets lipids; stains red
Sudan black B
targets lipids; stains black
Scarlet red
targets lipids; stains red-brown
Perls / Prussian blue
targets hemosiderin / iron; stains blue; most commonly used in conjunction with Fontana-Masson to distinguish between melanin (black on FM) and hemosiderin pigment. [Does not stain iron in intact RBCs so not a good choice for talon noir.]
Von Kossa
targets calcium; stains brown-black; most commonly used “calcium stain,” but actually stains the anions rather than calcium itself → less calcium-specific than Alizarin red
Alizarin red
targets calcium; stains red-orange; more specific for calcium than Von Kossa
Alcian blue pH 0.5
Targets Sulfated acid MPS (heparin, chondroitin, dermatan sulfates); stains blue; most mucin in normal skin is sulfated acid MPS. [Hyaluronic acid is nonsulfated and does not stain.]
Alcian blue pH 2.5
Targets Nonsulfated acid MPS (hyaluronic acid); stains blue; in diseases w/ incr. mucin (lupus, GA, follicular mucinosis), most mucin is hyaluronic acid. [HIGH-luronic acid stains with Alcian Blue at HIGH pH.] Note: sulfated acid MPS stain with Alcian blue at both pH’s
Colloidal iron
targets Acid MPS (sulfated and nonsulfated); stains blue; Hyaluronidase may be added to distinguish between HA and other mucin types
Mucicarmine
targets epithelial mucin; stains pink-red; used primarily for sialomucin, adenocarcinoma, Paget’s disease, and Cryptococcus (capsule). Not good for dermal mucins.
Periodic acid Schiff (PAS)
targets neutral MPS (BM), fungi, glycogen; stains pink; Primarily used to highlight BMZ material. Also positive in clear cell acanthoma and trichilemmoma (glycogen). Does not stain acid MPS (HA and other mucins).
Toluidine blue
Most commonly used as mast cell stain – targets mast cell granules. Also targets Acid MPS but rarely used for mucin. Stains red-purple.
Congo red
targets amyloid; stains pink-red w/apple-green birefringence on polarization; Most commonly used amyloid stain. In real world, not always reliable for macular/lichen amyloid
Thioflavin T
targets amyloid (on fluorescence microscopy); stains yellow-green;
Cresyl violet
targets amyloid; stains red; Of note, cotton dyes (Pagoda red, Dylon) also stain amyloid
Stains that target Collagen / Elastic fibers
VVG
Stains that target Smooth Muscle
Masson trichrome; Movat’s pentachrome; PTAH
Stains that target Lipids
Oil-red-O; Sudan black B; Scarlet Red (must be performed on frozen tissue)
Stains that target Iron / Hemosiderin
Perls / Prussian Blue
Stains that target Calcium
Von Kossa; Alizarin Red (more specific)
Stains that target Mucin
Alcian Blue (pH 0.5 and 2.5); Colloidal iron; Mucicarmine; PAS; Toluidine Blue
Stains that target Amyloid
Congo Red; Thioflavin T; Cresyl Violet
Stains that target Melanin
Fontana-Masson; silver nitrate
Stains that target Mast Cells
Leder (chloracetate esterase); Tryptase; Giemsa; Toluidine Blue; CD117 / c-KIT (immuno)
Stains that target Microbes
PAS; PAS-D; GMS; Gram stain; Fite stain; Ziehl-Nieelsen; Auramine-Rhodamine; Warthin-Starry; Steiner; Giemsa
Stains that target nerve axons
Bodian
Stains that target DNA / RNA
methyl green pyronin (RNA / DNA); Feulgen (DNA)
Silver Stains
Fontana-Masson; silver nitrate; GMS; Warthin-Starry; Steiner
Fontana-Masson
targets melanin; stains black; most commonly used in conjunction w/Perls stain to distinguish hemosiderin vs melanin. Vitiligo has complete loss of epidermal staining.
Silver nitrate
targets melanin; stains black
Leder (chloracetate esterase)
targets mast cell cytoplasm and granules; stains red; effective even in degranulated skin. [Note: only Leder and c-KIT / CD117 are reliable in degranulated skin.]
Tryptase
targets mast cell granules; stains brown or red
Giemsa
targets mast cell granules; stains purple-blue
Periodic acid Schiff w/diastase (PAS-D)
targets fungi, neutral MPS (BM); stains pink; helpful for BMZ thickening (lupus, DM), and thickened vessel walls (porphyria)
Gomori methenamine silver (GMS)
targets fungi; stains fungal wall black; Green background (counterstain)
Gram stain (Brown-Hopps and Brown-Brenn)
targets bacteria; stains red or blue; Gram(−) bacteria not well-visualized in skin biopsies
Fite
targets m. leprae, nocardia, atypical mycobacteria; stains red; Stain of choice for “partially acid-fast” organisms (M.leprae, Nocardia), and atypical mycobacteria as these are over-decolorized by Ziehl-Neelsen. Peanut oil and gentle decolorization process allows for better color preservation than in ZN.
Ziehl-Neelsen
targets AFB; stains red; most commonly used AFB stain but less effective for M. leprae and atypical AFB (use Fite instead)
Auramine-Rhodamine
targets AFB; stains yellow on fluorescence microscopy
Warthin-Starry
targets spirochetes; stains black; also stains organisms in bacillary angiomatosis, granuloma inguinale (Donovan bodies), rhinoscleroma. Disadvantage: nonspecific (“dirty”) staining pattern – has been largely replaced by spirochete immunostain.
Steiner
targets spirochetes; stains black; same staining pattern as Warthin-Starry
Stains that target Spirochetes
Warthin-Starry; Steiner
Stains that target AFB
Auramine-Rhodamine; Ziehl-Neelsen; Fite
Bodian
targets nerve axons (filaments); stains black; Positive in neurofibromas, traumatic neuromas, and PEN; negative in schwannoma (lacks axons)
Methyl green pyronin
Targets RNA and DNA; stains pink or blue-green; requires frozen tissue
Feulgen
targets DNA; stains red-purple
Immunostains for B Cells
CD20; PAX-5; CD79a; CD19; CD45; IgG light chains
Immunostains for dermal dendritic cells
Factor XIIIa (papillary dermis–wound healing, phagocytosis; antigen presentation); CD34 (reticular dermis)
Notable CD34+ tumors
DFSP, spindle cell / pleomorphic lipoma, Kaposi sarcoma (endothelial), neurofibroma (diffuse NF can be misdiagnosed as DFSP!), fibrofolliculoma / trichodiscoma, trichilemmoma / DTL (epithelial), solitary fibrous tumor, leukemia cutis, Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (endothelial), epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (endothelial), sclerotic fibroma, pleomorphic fibroma, superficial angiomyxoma, superficial acral fibromyxoma (and cellular digital fibroma), cellular angiofibroma of vulva/genital region, ischemic fasciitis. LOST in scleroderma / morphea