SKU: ES838 | Special Order Item: No | Medical Device: No
The identification of Mycobacteria with auramine O is due to the affinity of the mycolic acid in the cell walls for the fluorchrome. The dye will bind to the Mycobacteria, which appear as bright yellow, luminous rods against a dark background. The potassium permanganate helps prevent non-specific fluorescence. All acid fast organisms will be stained by auramine O, including the sporozoan parasites. Slides stained with auramine O may be restained with Ziehl-Neelsen or Kinyoun stain directly, as long as the oil has been removed. This provides a convenient method of confirming and differentiating morphology of positive slides with the traditional stains.
Procedure:
1. Place the “fixed” smear on a staining rack and flood slide with auramine O for 15 minutes. Do not let surface dry.
2. Wash off the stain with distilled water.
3. Flood slide with fluorescent decolorizer for 30-60 seconds.
4. Rinse thoroughly with distilled water.
5. Flood slide with potassium permanganate for 2 minutes. Do not allow slide to dry.
6. Rinse thoroughly with distilled water and air dry.
7. Examine microscopically under the same light source as used for fluorescent microscopy (i.e. a K530 excitation filter and a BG 1(more…)
