to stain the outside and the inside of the cell.. so the capsule appears transparent
Capsules appear as a clear halo surrounding stained bacteria when using the capsule stain procedure. The capsule itself does not stain, allowing it to show up as a clear area against the stained background of the bacteria.
To promote the cells adhering to the glass slide since they can't be heat fixed. When preparing a capsule stain you have to aseptically add organisms and emulsify with a loop.
The capsule stain is used in clinical microbiology to visualize the presence of capsules around certain bacteria. Capsules are protective layers that can help bacteria evade the host immune system, making them clinically significant. By staining capsules using techniques like the Maneval's capsule stain, microbiologists can identify capsule-producing bacteria, which is critical for diagnosing certain infections.
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When a stain, such as an acid dye, cannot penetrate the outer layers of a microbe, the cell will appear transparent on a colored background. This stain is called a negative or background stain. It is performed by mixing the dye with a suspension of bacteria on a slide and spreading the mixture into a thin layer for viewing. The capsule is a structure surrounding the cell wall that certain bacteria can produce. The ability to form a capsule is genetically and environmentally controlled. Only those microbes with the genes for capsule production have the potential to manufacture this polysaccharide (or polypeptide) surface layer. Special nutrients or other growth factors often are necessary for the genes to be expressed. The role of the capsule is primarily for protection of the bacteria. For example, the capsule affords a seal against dehydration. Many capsules repel white blood cells and thus allow pathogenic invading bacteria to elude one of the primary host defenses. Capsules are not readily stained and therefore are visualized by negative stain techniques. The organisms are prepared as a smear in the presence of an acid dye and allowed to air dry because heat will cause the capsule to shrink. Our procedure will combine a negative stain (which colors the background) and a simple stain to color the bacterial cell. The capsule appears as a colorless layer between the bacterium and the background.
Micrococcus luteus is typically negative for capsule stain as it does not usually produce a capsule. Capsule stains are used to identify the presence of capsules in bacterial cells, which are protective structures made of polysaccharides that surround some bacteria.
Safranin (red) is used in gram staining and endospore staining as the secondary stain. Nigrosin is used in negative staining, staining only the background and not the bacteria. Therefore, the bacteria within the capsule would stain red from the safranin. (Like in endospore staining and negative gram staining, safranin would stain the bacteria red.) Nigrosin would stain the background of the organism just as it would in negative staining. Bacteria (within capsul): stained safranin red Capsule (outer layer of bacteria): clear Background of organism: stained dark with Nigrosin
to jdentify the capsules of bacteria and fungi
The decolorizer used in the capsule stain is a dilute solution of 20% copper sulfate. It is used to remove the purple crystal violet stain from the background and bacterial cells, leaving only the capsule stained.
Gram staining protozoans yield variable results. Endospore, capsule, and AF stains will yield different results, as these stains are use on bacteria. Malaria is caused by a protozoan.