Question

When a medical technologist wants to determine if a clinical specimen contains a $M y c o b a c t e r i u m$ species, which should be used? a) Acid-fast stain b) Capsule stain c) Endospore stain d) Gram stain e) Simple stain

Name: Problem 2, Chapter 3: Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective
Uploaded: 2021-06-05T21:08:53-08:00
Duration: 1 min 40 s
Channel: Sylvia Puglisi
Description: When a medical technologist wants to determine if a clinical specimen contains a M y c o b a c t e r i u m species, which should be used? a) Acid-fast stain b) Capsule stain c) Endospore stain d) Gram stain e) Simple stain

   When a medical technologist wants to determine if a clinical specimen contains a $M y c o b a c t e r i u m$ species, which should be used?
a) Acid-fast stain
b) Capsule stain
c) Endospore stain
d) Gram stain
e) Simple stain

Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective

Denise Anderson,… 8th Edition

Chapter 3, Problem 2

Instant Answer

Solved by Expert Sylvia Puglisi

06/05/2021

Step 1

Mycobacterium is a genus of bacteria that includes species such as the bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy. These bacteria have a waxy outer coating that is rich in fatty acids, making it difficult for them to take up any kind of stain. Show more…

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When a medical technologist wants to determine if a clinical specimen contains a $M y c o b a c t e r i u m$ species, which should be used? a) Acid-fast stain b) Capsule stain c) Endospore stain d) Gram stain e) Simple stain

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Key Concepts

Bacterial cell wall composition

The composition of a bacterial cell wall is critical in determining the appropriate staining technique. In bacteria like those from the Mycobacterium genus, the presence of mycolic acids in the cell wall creates a waxy barrier that makes them resistant to traditional stains, necessitating specialized techniques such as acid-fast staining for proper identification.

Acid-fast staining

Acid-fast staining is a differential staining technique designed to detect bacteria that possess high concentrations of lipids in their cell walls, specifically mycolic acids. This method uses a primary stain such as carbol fuchsin which is not easily washed out by acid-alcohol decolorization, allowing acid-fast organisms to be distinctly visualized against a contrasting background.

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