Anyone who works in a lab probably knows how vital Gram-staining is. This is a widely used technique, and so many experiments would not even be possible without it. It is a procedure that all microbiologists should be experts at. But what exactly is Gram-staining, and how can it be adequately performed to ensure accurate results?
What Is Gram Staining?
Gram Staining is a method used to differentiate two large bacterial groups. These can be Gram-positive or Gram-negative, depending on the properties of their cell walls. Gram Staining helps them be distinguished by changing their color to either red or violet.
A few examples of Gram-positive cocci are Staphylococci, Streptococci, and Pneumococci hold on to the Gram stain’s color and remain purple. In contrast, Gram-negative organisms, such as meningococci and Vibrio Cholerae responsible for causing the rice-water stools in humans, do not retain the color of the Gram Stain and turn red.
You may need many lab apparatuses to perform different steps in the procedure. First off, you need to make a slide, and for the best Rainin LTS Tips to create proper slides, Molecular Biology Products is the best!
The results of Gram Staining are significant, and these must be accurate. Here are a few tips to ensure precision and exactness and avoid false-negative results.
The Best Practices For Gram Staining And Avoid False-Negative Results
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Do Not Make A Heavy Smear
If you add too much content to the smear, it is pretty likely that you will not be able to see all the contents very clearly. The organisms and structures will be blurred or hidden and interfere with your results.
Let our 200 ul filter tips help you in creating good smears so that the organisms can be studied in detail and correct results can be achieved.
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Test Your Incoming Reagents And Stains Beforehand
Even if you have ordered your stuff from the most renowned company, reagents and stains are sensitive and can perish or be ruined during storage or shipping. Because of this, they may not perform as expected and be damaging to your experiments.
Gram Staining is a time-consuming and relatively expensive process, so it is better to test all the incoming reagents and stains from before so that any ill fate can be avoided.
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Decrease The Heat During Fixation
Gram Staining stains bacterial properties within the cell wall and removes any excess stain using a decolorizer. If you provide excessive heat during the fixation process, cell morphology will be altered, resulting in damage to cell walls and speedy decolorization.
To avoid this, it is better not to give too much heat during fixation. This will lead to greater accuracy.
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Use A Clean And Precise Microscope
Using an incorrect microscope or lens may give you a false result or may not make all details visible to you. In order to thoroughly analyze the specimen, use the right kind of equipment.
In addition, clean your microscope regularly with approved cleaners. Too much cleaning may damage the lens. Alternatively, too little of it may cause you to miss the necessary features and characteristics of the specimen. Hence, ensure you clean it just the right amount and use the right products.
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