Histology Certification Staining Methods 2

Question 1

Which stain is specifically used to identify reticular fibers in tissue sections?

Accepted Answer

Gordon and Sweet's reticulin stain

Answer

Gordon and Sweet's reticulin stain uses silver impregnation to selectively blacken reticular fibers.

Question 2

What color do elastic fibers appear when stained with Verhoeff's Van Gieson (VVG) stain?

Accepted Answer

Black

Answer

Verhoeff's Van Gieson stain colors elastic fibers black while collagen appears red and muscle appears yellow.

Question 3

The PAS (Periodic Acid-Schiff) reaction detects which type of tissue component?

Accepted Answer

Polysaccharides and glycoproteins

Answer

PAS oxidizes vicinal diols in polysaccharides and glycoproteins to aldehydes, which then react with Schiff reagent to produce a magenta color.

Question 4

Which fixative is most compatible with enzyme histochemistry?

Accepted Answer

Cold acetone or unfixed frozen sections

Answer

Cold acetone or unfixed frozen sections preserve enzyme activity, whereas aldehyde fixatives typically inactivate enzymes.

Question 5

In the Ziehl-Neelsen stain, what property of Mycobacterium tuberculosis allows it to retain carbol fuchsin?

Accepted Answer

High lipid content of its cell wall (mycolic acids)

Answer

The high mycolic acid content of mycobacterial cell walls makes them acid-fast, retaining carbol fuchsin even after acid-alcohol decolorization.

Histology Certification Practice Test