MBK Lab Report

Name: Wendy Rector Course: BIO 175

Differential Staining
Questions:
A. What is a differential stain? How is it different from a simple stain? Differential Stain: 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. Simple Stain: method for bacteria which is usually successful even when the "positive staining" methods fail B. What is the difference between gram-positive and gram-negative cell walls? Gram-positive cell walls typically lack the outer membrane found in Gramnegative bacteria. C. What is the purpose of crystal violet in the Grams stain procedure? Used as a primary stain for the viewing D. What is the purpose of iodine in the Grams stain procedure? (What is a mordant?) Iodine is used as a trapping agent. Mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue. E. What is the purpose of acetone-alcohol in the Grams stain procedure? Used for rapid decolorization. F. What is the purpose of safranin in the Grams stain procedure? Used for counterstaining. G. Why do gram-positive cells stain purple? The CV+ ion interacts with negatively charged components of bacterial cells and stains the cells purple. H. Why do gram-negative cells stain pink? Counterstain, which is usually positively charged safranin or basic fuchsin, is applied last to give decolorized gram-negative bacteria a pink or red color. I. Which of your organisms stained gram-negative? Cocci, bacilli, and other nosocomial infections. J. Which of your organisms stained gram positive? It includes many well-known genera such as Bacillus, Listeria, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Clostridium.