flagella stain
used to visualize flagella
Flagella stain is a laboratory technique to visualize bacterial flagella, which are long, thin, hair-like structures that extend from the surface of bacteria and help in their motility. Flagella stain involves a three-step process:
1. Mordanting: Mordant, typically tannic acid, is added to the bacterial culture to enhance flagella visualization. The mordant coats the flagella with a protein complex and increases their thickness.
2. Staining: A stain solution, usually basic fuchsin or carbolfuchsin, is added to the bacterial culture. The stain penetrates the bacterial cell and binds to the mordant-protein complex of the flagella, imparting a reddish color to the flagella.
3. Decolorizing: The slide is then washed with a decolorizing solution, usually 95% ethyl alcohol, to remove excess stain from the background and flagella. The ethanol wash also shrinks the size of bacterial cells, making the flagella more visible.
The prepared slide is observed under a microscope using oil immersion lens. The bacterial flagella appear as thin, long, wavy or straight, reddish threads extending from the bacterial surface. Flagella staining is an important diagnostic tool to differentiate between bacterial species based on their flagellar arrangements and numbers. Some bacteria have flagella only at one end (monotrichous), both ends (amphitrichous), all over the surface (peritrichous), or in tufts (lophotrichous).
More Answers:
Understanding Atrichous Bacteria: Types, Characteristics, and Importance in MicrobiologyDiscovering Microbial Movement: Unraveling the Amphitrichous Flagella Arrangement on Microorganisms
Understanding Monotrichous Bacteria: Arrangement and Importance of Flagella