Histology FAQ

Staining, Histochemistry and Histotechnology

(Frequently Asked Questions)

 

Dr. John A. Kiernan
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
The University of Western Ontario
London, Canada

 

 

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FAQ Home > Staining Methods, Histochemistry

• Making aldehyde-fuchsine

• Phosphatases in decalcified, embedded tissue

• Congo red for amyloid

• Cartilage staining with safranine

• Stain for Chlamydia (Castaneda's method)

• Which staining method for copper is best?

• Diastase (amylase) control for glycogen

• Evans blue, trypan blue and eosin as tracers

• Gallyas' stain

• Gram staining of sections (Brown & Hopps method)

• Oxidants for hematoxylin

• McFaydean's stain for anthrax bacilli

• Microglia with Griffonia lectin

• Picro-sirius red staining

• Iron hematoxylin: ripening not needed

• Enzyme histochemistry on cell cultures

• Malachite green in stain for Cryptosporidium

• Confusing dye names (lissamine fast red as an example)

• Mayer's and Gill's hematoxylins

• Effects of pH on staining by dyes

• Histochemical stain for arsenic

• Giemsa staining of blood smears: several hints

• Automated H & E staining problems

• Verhoeff's stain for myelin and elastin

• Acridine orange method for DNA and RNA

• Quickly finding something in a newly cut section

• Fluorescent lectins: general method

• Methyl blue and methylene blue