Application of an aqueous acid-fast staining technique to detect pathogens of aquatic species.
Many bacterial and protozoan pathogens in fish and shellfish exhibit acid-fast staining characteristics that are important for pathogen identification and disease diagnosis. The classic acid-fast staining techniques for light microscopy use carbol-fuchsin; a major ingredient of this stain is caustic and hazardous phenol. A new technique using heated aqueous basic fuchsin can stain two acid-fast human pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium. This method is a potentially valuable and safer diagnostic tool for aquatic pathologists. M. marinum, a finfish pathogen, and various additional acid-fast parasitic pathogens of finfish and marine invertebrates were stained successfully using this heated aqueous basic fuchsin method.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Service, Cooperative Oxford Laboratory, Oxford 21654, MD, USA. cmccollough@dnr.state.md.us
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McCollough
D000818:Animals; D002863:Chromogenic Compounds; D003445:Crustacea / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D005399:Fishes / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D041602:Haplosporida / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D016814:Microsporidia / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008974:Mollusca / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D055766:Myxobolus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D019800:Phenol; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods*
D002863:Chromogenic Compounds; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; D019800:Phenol; C006898:carbol-fuchsin solution