Skip to main content
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1973 Apr;26(4):253–257. doi: 10.1136/jcp.26.4.253

A comparison of methods for staining tubercle bacilli in histological sections

N Greenwood 1, And H Fox 1
PMCID: PMC477700  PMID: 4121839

Abstract

The Ziehl-Neelsen stain is compared with three alternative methods of staining tubercle bacilli in paraffin sections: Fite's method (1938); a modification by Armstrong and Price (1947) of Fite's method; and a fluorescent method using the auramine-phenol stain.

The fluorescent method was found to be the most effective of the four methods and its use is recommended as a routine tool in diagnostic histopathology.

Full text

PDF
256

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ARMSTRONG A. R., PRICE N. E. Acid-fast bacilli in paraffin sections of tuberculous tissue. Can Med Assoc J. 1947 Jan;56(1):83–83. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fite G. L. The staining of acid-fast bacilli in paraffin sections. Am J Pathol. 1938 Jul;14(4):491–507. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. KOCH M. L., COTE R. A. COMPARISON OF FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY WITH ZIEHL-NEELSEN STAIN FOR DEMONSTRATION OF ACID-FAST BACILLI IN SMEAR PREPARATIONS AND TISSUE SECTIONS. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1965 Feb;91:283–284. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1965.91.2.283. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Mansfield R. E. An improved method for the fluorochrome staining of mycobacteria in tissues and smears. Am J Clin Pathol. 1970 Mar;53(3):394–406. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/53.3.394. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Wang W. L. Contamination of tissue sections with acid-fast bacilli as detected by fluorescence microscopy. Am J Clin Pathol. 1969 Jan;51(1):71–75. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/51.1.71. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES