Review Article

Year : 2020 | Volume : 4 | Issue : 1 | Page : 10 - 14

Stains Employed in the Detection of Microorganisms

E. Abigail Viola, B. Hindia1

Department of Oral Pathology, SRM Dental College, 1 Private Practitioner, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Address for correspondence:

Dr. E. Abigail Viola,

Department of Oral Pathology, SRM Dental College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

E-mail: dr.abigailviola@gmail.com

Abstract

A clear diagnosis of infection can often be made based on the macroscopic appearance of tissue. Infection can be detected by frank pus, abscess formation, cavitation, hyperkeratosis, demyelination, pseudo‐membrane formation, focal necrosis, and granulomas. Even if the precise nature of the suspect organism is never identified, some of these appearances may be sufficient to provide an initial, or at least provisional, diagnosis and allow treatment to begin, even if the precise nature of the suspect organism is never identified. It is important to remember that a well‐executed hematoxylin and eosin method will stain a wide range of organisms. Romanowsky stains, such as Giemsa and Papanicolaou stains will also stain organisms and their cellular environment. Other infectious agents are difficult to detect using standard stains, necessitating the use of special techniques to demonstrate their presence. This review aims to highlight the commonly used stains for the detection of microorganisms in various histopathology and cytology material.

Keywords: Bacteria, fungi, microorganisms, special stains

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

How to cite this article:

Viola EA, Hindia B. Stains employed in the detection of microorganisms. Int J Orofac Biol 2020;4:10-4.