Final answer:
Yes, fixed smears of specimens are required to perform the Gram stain and endospore stain.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, fixed smears of specimens are required in order to perform the Gram stain and endospore stain on the specimens.
A smear is a small amount of culture spread in a thin film on a slide. To prevent the bacteria from washing away during the staining steps, the smear needs to be fixed to the slide. Heat fixing is a commonly used method to permanently affix the biological material to the glass surface of the slide.
For both Gram staining and endospore staining, the specimens need to be properly prepared and fixed on glass slides before applying the stains.