Ziehl Fuchsine-Carbol Solution, Chem-Lab

Used in the Ziehl-Neelsen microbiological staining for investigation of mycobacteria. Ziehl Fuchsine-Carbol Solution, Chem-Lab is a special bacteriological stain used to identify acid-fast organisms, which resist staining by ordinary methods. Mycobacteria are stained magenta red.

Description

Initially, fuchsin-carbol stains every cell. When the staining solution is combined with acid alcohol (usually hydrochloric acid in ethanol or IPA), the stain is removed from non-acid-fast bacteria, since they do not have a waxy lipid layer that resists decolorization. A methylene blue counter stain can then applied, which is picked up by non-acid-fast bacteria. When viewed under the microscope, the acid-fast bacteria appear red, while other bacteria appear blue.