title: Application of stains in clinical microbiology.
abstract: Stains have been used for diagnosing infectious diseases since the late 1800s. The Gram stain remains the most commonly used stain because it detects and differentiates a wide range of pathogens. The next most commonly used diagnostic technique is acid-fast staining that is used primarily to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other severe infections. Many infectious agents grow slowly on culture media or may not grow at all; stains may be the only method to detect these organisms in clinical specimens. In the hands of experienced clinical microscopists, stains provide rapid and cost-effective information for preliminary diagnosis of infectious diseases. A review of the most common staining methods used in the clinical microbiology laboratory is presented here.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Program Practice Office, Division of Laboratory Systems, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724, USA.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Madison
mesh_terms: D000165:Acridine Orange; D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008829:Microbiology; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D000165:Acridine Orange