๐Ÿฆ microbiology review

key term - Acid-fast stain

Definition

Acid-fast stain is a differential staining technique used to identify acid-fast bacteria, such as Mycobacterium species. It differentiates bacteria based on the properties of their cell walls.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. Acid-fast stain primarily identifies Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis.
  2. The Ziehl-Neelsen method and the Kinyoun method are two common techniques for performing an acid-fast stain.
  3. Acid-fast bacteria retain the primary stain (carbol fuchsin) even after being treated with a decolorizing agent (acid-alcohol).
  4. Non-acid-fast cells will lose the primary stain when decolorized and will take up the counterstain (methylene blue or brilliant green).
  5. The high mycolic acid content in the cell walls of acid-fast bacteria is responsible for their staining characteristics.

Review Questions

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