Microorganism identification is based on simple morphology and the staining characteristics due to the cell wall moiety of various lipids and its thickness. The chain length and saturation play important roles in determining which cells will retain stain or lose it in accordance to the affinity of the stain being used. Cells are then classified according to the stain characteristics as “retained” or “lost”.Grams Technique involves an initial stain of Crystal Violet with Iodine as a mordant to enhance the action of stain being lost through chelation type effects. The thicker cell walled organisms will retain the dye and are known as Gram (+). Those that lose the dye are then classified as Gram (-). A counterstain of Safranin-O or Basic Fuchsin typically follows, both are less lipophilic then Crystal Violet and do not penetrate the cell wall but rather stain the unsaturated chains within the cell wall. These characteristics of the cell wall can then be used for diagnosis and treatment. Volu-sol also carriers other popular stains for microbiology and has done extensive research on the Acid Fast stains (Carbol Fuchsin and Ziehl-Neilsen ) with Mycobacterium Tuberculosis to optimize stain quality in both.
Volu-Sol also carriers parasitic stains such as the Wheatley Procedure and even parasite specific stains such as the Cryptosporidia Stain Kit.