
What makes acid fast bacteria acid fast?
What makes bacteria acid-fast? Acid-fast bacteria include the Mycobacteria and some of the Nocardia. The acid-fast staining property results from the presence of membrane glycolipids and very long chain 2-alkyl-3-hydroxy fatty acids (mycolic acids) bound to the peptidoglycan.
What are the advantages of acid fast stain?
Acid-fast mycobacteria contain mycolic acid in their outer membrane, making the cells waxy and resistant to staining with aqueous based stains such as the Gram stain. The primary stain, carbolfuchsin is applied to the cells, and heat and phenol are used to allow the stain to penetrate into the waxy surface of acid-fast microorganisms.
What are the steps in acid fast staining?
- First, cover the smear on the slide with Carbol fuchsin and start heating until steam rises. Allow the smear + stain for 5 minutes. ...
- Cover the slide with 20% Sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ). The red color of the smear change into a yellowish-brown.
- Wash the slide. Repeat step 2. ...
- Counterstain with methylene blue for 20 to 25 seconds. ...
What are examples of acid - fast bacteria?
- Nocardia (weakly acid-fast; resists decolorization with weaker acid concentrations)
- Rhodococcus
- Gordonia (an actinomycete)
- Tsukamurella
- Dietzia

What are the example of acid-fast?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis causative agent, affecting the lungs in humans, Mycobacterium Bovis, Mycobacterium avium, Nocardia species, and Rhodococcus Equi are examples of acid-fast bacteria.
What makes a bacteria acid-fast?
Acid-fast bacteria include the Mycobacteria and some of the Nocardia. The acid-fast staining property results from the presence of membrane glycolipids and very long chain 2-alkyl-3-hydroxy fatty acids (mycolic acids) bound to the peptidoglycan.
What is an example of acid-fast bacteria?
Common acid-fast bacteria of medical importance include Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae,Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex, and Nocardia species.
What is acid-fast and non acid-fast?
The main difference between acid fast and non acid fast bacteria is that acid fast bacteria resist decolorizing by acid after accepting a stain whereas non acid fast bacteria are readily decolorized by acid after staining.
What type of stain is acid-fast?
The acid-fast stain is a laboratory test that determines if a sample of tissue, blood, or other body substance is infected with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis ( TB ) and other illnesses.
How do you tell if a bacteria is acid-fast?
Acid-fast structures can be visualized under a microscope using two principal methods, the carbolfuchsin staining, and the fluorochrome procedure. The carbolfuchsin staining comprises of the Ziehl-Neelsen method and the Kinyoun method.
What is the principle of acid-fast staining?
Principle of acid fast staining (in mycobacteria): Heat softens the wax in the cell wall and allows the stain (basic fuchsin) to enter. The fuchsin dye is more soluble in phenol than in water or alcohol. Phenol in turn is more soluble in lipids or waxes, thus the dye-phenol mixture enters the cell.
Why is mycobacterium called acid-fast bacteria?
Mycobacterium and many Nocardia species are called acid-fast because during an acid-fast staining procedure they retain the primary dye carbol fuchsin despite decolorization with the powerful solvent acid-alcohol. Nearly all other genera of bacteria are nonacid-fast.
What diseases can be diagnosed through the acid-fast procedure?
An acid-fast bacteria (AFB) culture is done to find out if you have tuberculosis (TB) or another mycobacterial infection. Besides TB, the other main mycobacterial infections are leprosy and a TB-like disease that affects people with HIV/AIDS.
What are the acid-fast reactions?
Principle of Acid-Fast Stain When the smear is stained with carbol fuchsin, it solubilizes the lipoidal material present in the Mycobacterial cell wall but by the application of heat, carbol fuchsin further penetrates through lipoidal wall and enters into cytoplasm. Then after all cell appears red.
How do you do a acid-fast test?
Acid-Fast Staining InstructionsAir dry and heat fix a thin film of microorganisms. ... Flood the slide with Carbolfuchsin. ... Flood slide with Acid Alcohol for 30 seconds. ... Counterstain by flooding the slide with Methylene Blue for 30 seconds. ... Dry the slide by putting it between the pages of a book of Bibulous paper.More items...
How long does acid-fast take?
It can provide results in 1–2 days. These results can show a possible or likely infection, but can't provide a definite diagnosis.
What makes a bacterium acid-fast quizlet?
Bacteria which are acid-fast are gram positive microorganism that are resistant to the gram stain, therefore implementing the acid-fast allow us to visualize this bacteria. what are mycolic acid components? Arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan.
What is responsible for the acid fastness of acid-fast organisms?
The ability of the bacteria to resist decolorization with ACID alcohol confers acid fastness to the bacterium. Acid-fast bacteria, of which there are very few---the major genus Mycobacterium, have a high concentration of mycolic acid, a lipid, in their walls.
Why is mycobacterium called acid-fast bacteria?
Mycobacterium and many Nocardia species are called acid-fast because during an acid-fast staining procedure they retain the primary dye carbol fuchsin despite decolorization with the powerful solvent acid-alcohol. Nearly all other genera of bacteria are nonacid-fast.
What bacterial species are acid-fast bacteria?
Acid-fast bacteria include the mycobacteria, of which there are more than 30 well-characterized members of the genus and many more unclassified Daniel (1992). Most mycobacteria are not pathogenic, and are readily isolated from the environment Daniel (1992).
What is phenol ammonium sulphate basic fuchsin staining of sput?
Phenol ammonium sulphate basic fuchsin staining of sputum in pot for the detection of acid-fast bacilli
What is the avian disease?
Avian Dis.: An outbreak of Mycobacterium genavense infection in a flock of captive diamond doves (Geopelia cuneata)
What organs do doves have histiocytic infiltration?
Disseminated histiocytic infiltration of either aggregates or sheets of epithelioid cells containing acid-fastbacilli, in the absence of caseous necrosis, were observed in different organs of the infected doves, especially lungs (23/23), intestines (9/23).
Can Ziehl Neelsen stain be used for CLCs?
Although formalin-induced autofluorescence and acid-faststain of CLCs are probably nonspecific phenomena, use of the fluorescent microscope and the Ziehl-Neelsen stain can successfully help in the diagnosis of acute-phase EC , especially in samples with massive tissue necrosis.
Can bacteria be decolorized by acids?
not readily decolorized by acids after staining; said of bacteria, especially Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Can you decolorize after acid staining?
Not decolorized by acid after staining, as bacteria that retain dye after an acid rinse.
Do you need to submit sputum for acid fast microscopy?
Applicants with chest radiographs suggestive of tuberculosis now are required to submit three sputum specimens for both sputum smears for acid-fastmicroscopy and mycobacterial culture.
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