Differential staining

Differential Staining is a general term that can refer to a number of specific processes. Generally, it is used to describe staining processes which use more than one chemical stain. Using multiple stains can better differentiate between different microorganisms or structures/cellular components of a single organism.

Differential Staining also describes medical process used to detect abnormalities in the proportion of different white blood cells in the blood. The process or results are called a WBC differential. This test is useful because many diseases alter the proportion of certain white blood cells. By analyzing these differences in combination with a clinical exam and other lab tests, medical professionals can diagnose disease.

One commonly recognizable use of differential staining is the Gram stain. Gram staining uses two dyes: Crystal violet and Fuchsin (the counterstain) to differentiate between Gram-positive bacteria (large Peptidoglycan layer on outer surface of cell) and Gram-negative bacteria.

Further reading

• http://www.mansfield.ohio-state.edu/~sabedon/black03.htm#differential_stain Detailed Overview of staining
• http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/bugdrug/antibiotic_manual/Gram2.htm The Gram Stain Technique

This article related to pathology is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Medical tests Pathology stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую The Edsel Show Beacon Fellowship Look at other dictionaries: differential staining — staining with a substance for which different bacteria or different elements of the bacteria or specimen being stained show varying affinities, resulting in their differentiation …   Medical dictionary differential staining procedures — Staining procedures that divide bacteria into separate groups based on staining properties …   Dictionary of microbiology antibody differential staining — antibody differential staining. См. дифференциальное окрашивание [хромосом] с помощью антител. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь. differential — Relating to, or characterized by, a difference; distinguishing. [L. dif fero, to carry apart, differ, fr. dis, apart] threshold d. SYN: d. threshold. * * * dif·fer·en·tial .dif ə ren chəl adj 1) of, relating to, or constituting a difference… …   Medical dictionary Differential extraction — refers to the process by which the DNA from two different types of cells can be extracted without mixing their contents. The most common application of this method is the extraction of DNA from vaginal epithelial cells and sperm cells from sexual …   Wikipedia Differential interference contrast microscopy — Micrasterias furcata imaged in transmitted DIC microscopy. Differential interference contrast microscopy (DIC), also known as Nomarski Interference Contrast (NIC) or Nomarski microscopy, is an optical microscopy illumination technique used to… …   Wikipedia Gram staining — (or Gram s method) is an empirical method of differentiating bacterial species into two large groups (Gram positive and Gram negative) based on the chemical and physical properties of their cell walls.cite book | last = Bergey | first = David H.… …   Wikipedia telomeric staining — terminal staining differential staining of chromosomes to stain chromosome telomeric regions, consisting of pretreatment with a heated salt solution before treatment with buffered Giemsa stain or acridine orange; only the telomeric regions of the …   Medical dictionary Dispersion staining — Contents 1 Dispersion Staining 1.1 Becke Line Dispersion Staining 1.2 Oblique Illumination Dispersion Staining 1.3 Darkfield Illumination Dispersion Staining …   Wikipedia G banding — differential staining of chromosomes to elicit chromosome bands (G bands), consisting of pretreatment with a salt solution or with proteolytic enzymes (usually trypsin or pronase) before staining with Giemsa solution. Such bands are AT rich,… …   Medical dictionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”