Carbol fuchsin strong (Ziehl-Neelsen) sol.
Description
Carbol fuchsin strong (Ziehl-Neelsen solution) is a red primary stain used in the Ziehl-Neelsen technique to detect acid-fast bacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Composition
It consists of basic fuchsin (0.5–1.5% w/v, typically 1 g in 10 ml ethanol), dissolved in 5% aqueous phenol (carbolic acid, 5 g in 95 ml water), which acts as a mordant to enhance penetration into waxy cell walls.
Role in staining
In the hot Ziehl-Neelsen method, the slide is flooded with carbol fuchsin and gently heated to steam for 5 minutes, allowing the phenol-fuchsin complex to bind to mycolic acids in acid-fast bacilli, rendering them resistant to decolorization by acid-alcohol.
Procedure and results
After staining and heating, slides are cooled, rinsed, decolorized with 3% acid-alcohol, counterstained with methylene blue, and examined; acid-fast bacilli appear bright red against a blue background.
Specifications
| Model No. | N-CH1539 |
|---|
