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Acid-fast Stain (310 words) |
 | 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. |
| Add the decolorizer acid alcohol (1% HCl + ethanol) and decolorize for 15-20 seconds. |
| Reference.com/Encyclopedia/Acid-fast (248 words) |
| Acid-fastness is a physical property of some bacteria referring to their resistance to decolorization by acids during staining procedures. |
| The high mycolic acid content of certain bacterial cell walls, like those of Mycobacterium, is responsible for the staining pattern of poor absorption followed by high retention. |
| The most common staining technique used to identify acid-fast bacteria is the Ziehl-Neelsen stain, in which the bacteria are stained bright red and stand out clearly against a blue background. |
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