Final answer:
Acid-fast staining uses carbolfuchsin as the primary dye, an acid-alcohol solution as the decolorizer, and methylene blue as the secondary dye. The Ziehl-Neelsen and Kinyoun techniques are two methods employing these reagents, with the main difference being the use of heat.
Step-by-step explanation:
The acid-fast staining is a differential staining technique used to identify acid-fast bacteria, such as those causing tuberculosis. The reagents used in acid-fast staining include:
- Primary dye: carbolfuchsin, which is used to stain acid-fast cells due to its affinity for the waxy mycolic acid present in their cell walls.
- Decolorizer: an acid-alcohol solution, typically ethanol or an acetone/ethanol mixture, is used to decolorize non-acid-fast cells.
- Secondary dye: methylene blue acts as a counterstain, coloring non-acid-fast cells blue, allowing for differentiation between acid-fast and non-acid-fast cells.
The two main techniques for acid-fast staining are the Ziehl-Neelsen technique, which involves heat, and the Kinyoun technique, which does not require heat.