BacterStain™ Safranine

INTENDED USE

BacterStrain™ Safranine is a synthetic red dye used in the Gram staining method, primarily as a counterstain for Gram-negative bacteria.

PRINCIPLES

After Gram-negative bacteria are decolorized by alcohol, they no longer retain the Crystal Violet color and are counterstained with Safranine. As a result, Gram-negative bacteria will appear pink or red, while Gram-positive bacteria retain their purple color, providing a clear distinction between the two types of bacteria.

Used in Gram Strain Kit

Prepare a thin smear on clear, dry glass slide.
Allow it to air dry and fix by gentle heat
Flood with BacterStain™ Crystal Violet (Code: 04007) for 1 minute.
Wash with tap water
Flood the smear with BacterStain™ Lugol (Code: 04005). Allow it to remain for 1 minute
Decolourize with BacterStain™ Alcohol (Code: 04011) until the blue dye no longer flows from the smear
Wash with tap water
Counter stain with BacterStain™ Safranine (Code: 04008) for 1 minutes and rinses off with water
Allow the slide to air dry or blot dry between sheets of clean bibulous paper and examine under oil immersion objective

RESULTS

Gram-positive bacteria stain dark violet with gentian: Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Pneumococcus, Diphtheria bacillus, Bacillus anthracis.
Gram-negative bacteria do not stain violet with gentian, so they appear pink-red with fuchsin: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis, Escherichia coli, Shigella, Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae.

BacterLab ensures the quality of each product batch by testing with ATCC reference strains.