Final answer:
Stains such as crystal violet and methylene blue are used in microscopy to highlight cellular structures, with specific staining procedures like Gram staining distinguishing between different types of bacteria.
Step-by-step explanation:
Staining is a microbiological technique used to enhance the visibility of cells and cellular components under a microscope.
Different stains are applied to microbial or cellular specimens to differentiate between different types of cells or to highlight specific cellular structures. Crystal violet and methylene blue are examples of cationic, or basic, dyes, which are attracted by the negative charge of cell walls, thus staining the cells. Crystal violet is notably used in Gram staining.
The Giemsa stain and Wright's stain are differential stains that are commonly used in hematology to distinguish between different types of blood cells. For instance, a Wright-Giemsa stain will color red blood cells pinkish-red and various shades of purple for white blood cells, enabling a detailed examination of the blood components.
The process of staining involves several steps, with certain stains requiring a mordant like Gram's iodine in the Gram stain procedure to help fix the dye into the cell.
The use of alcohol in the Gram stain procedure serves as a decolorizing agent that washes away stain from certain types of cells, allowing for the differentiation between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.