THE ACID-FAST STAIN

Guide Questions:
1. What is the medical application of acid-fast stain?

This acid-fast stain is significant in the field of medicine because this procedure is
used to identify mycobacterial infection from a tissue, blood or any other bodily
fluid acquired from a person. The most common disease that this method usually
determine is the tuberculosis (TB). This procedure may also be utilized to aid in
the diagnosis of other acid-fast bacteria infections. This may include the leprosy a
once feared condition that attacks the nerves, eyes, and skin but currently a rare
and readily curable disease. By determining the mentioned infection present in a
sample, medical professional could make a proper approach to the patient
diagnosed with such disease.

2. Is a gram stain an adequate substitute for an acid-fast stain? Why or why not?

The cell wall of mycobacteria contains high concentration of lipid making them
waxy, hydrophobic and impermeable to routine stain such as the gram stain.
Technically, a gram stain is not a great and sufficient substitute for the acid-fast
stain because this mycolic acid lipid will only reject the stain in gram staining
procedure providing an inadequate result for the examiners.

3. Draw, color, label and describe the morphology of the following bacteria after
subjected to acid-fast staining.

a) Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium
tuberculosis is fairly
large and a
nonmotile rod-
shaped bacterium.
It appears to be
color red after
subjected to acid-
fast staining since
this bacterium is an
acid-fast bacterium.
b) Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli is an
acid-fast negative
which makes it
appear to be color
blue from the
methylene blue
after acid-fast
staining. It is a rod-
shaped bacterium
with rounded ends.
It usually motile by
peritrichous flagella

c) Nocardia

Nocardia is a genus of Gram-positive,

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Parkour, N. and Horgan S. (2021) Lab 4: Acid-Fast, Spores, and Capsule Stains. Biology.
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