Staining Methods Flashcards
7 cards from real Histology Certification practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Staining Methods flashcards as text
Which stain is the gold standard for identifying amyloid deposits in tissue?
Answer: Congo red
Congo red stains amyloid salmon-pink and produces pathognomonic apple-green birefringence under polarized light.
The Grimelius stain is used to demonstrate which cell type?
Answer: Argyrophilic neuroendocrine cells
Grimelius is an argyrophilic silver stain that highlights neuroendocrine cells by reducing silver ions in the presence of an exogenous reducing agent.
What color does cartilage matrix appear when stained with Alcian blue at pH 2.5?
Answer: Blue
Alcian blue at pH 2.5 stains sulfated and carboxylated glycosaminoglycans in cartilage matrix blue.
Which silver stain technique is most commonly used to demonstrate fungal elements in tissue?
Answer: Gomori methenamine silver (GMS)
Gomori methenamine silver (GMS) stain blackens fungal cell walls against a pale green background, making it the standard for fungal detection.
In Masson's trichrome staining, what color does smooth muscle appear?
Answer: Red/pink
In Masson's trichrome, muscle fibers stain red or pink with acid fuchsin, while collagen stains blue or green depending on the variant.
The Fontana-Masson stain is used to detect which pigment?
Answer: Melanin
Fontana-Masson is an argentaffin silver stain that reduces silver ions without exogenous reducer, selectively blackening melanin granules.
What does 'metachromasia' mean in histological staining?
Answer: The tissue component stains a different color than the dye solution itself
Metachromasia occurs when a dye (e.g., toluidine blue) binds polyanionic tissue components so densely that its absorption spectrum shifts, producing a different color (e.g., purple-red instead of blue).