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Cell Staining

Standardization Of Tests

Cell staining is one of a number of laboratory tests that are performed to aid in the analysis and diagnosis of disease. The work in these laboratories is performed for physicians as well as for government agencies involved in water purification and sewage treatment, and for industries such as the food industry involved in the manufacture of goods that need to adhere to strict health standards.

Standardization of these tests have been widely adopted throughout the microbiological laboratory community. The National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS), located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, continuously publishes standards for these laboratory tests. Among the factors that have been standardized in laboratory testing are temperature, pH (acidity or alkalinity), growth medium, antibiotics, quality control, and other factors.


Resources

Books

Hunt, Tim. The Cell Cycle: An Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Keynes, Milton. Handling Laboratory Microorganisms. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1991.

Koneman, Elmer W. Color Atlas and Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology. 4th ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1992.

Postgate, John R. The Outer Reaches of Life. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Prescott, L., J. Harley, and D. Klein. Microbiology. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.


Vita Richman

KEY TERMS

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Acidic stains

—Stains that adhere to microorganisms having a high lipid (fatty) content.

Decolorization

—Washing away of the staining medium.

Differential staining

—Staining technique that uses more than one stain to differentiate the structure of the microorganism.

Fixing

—Preparing a cell specimen on a slide for examination under a microscope.

Gram-negative

—Those cells that lose the color of the stain after they are washed with a 95% alcohol solution during the staining process.

Gram-positive

—Those cells that retain the color of the stain after they are washed with a 95% alcohol solution during the staining process.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Categorical judgement to ChimaeraCell Staining - Staining Techniques, Standardization Of Tests