A team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has introduced a virtual Gram staining technique that could transform how microbiologists stain and classify bacteria.

The presence of endospores in a bacterial culture can be detected by staining with malachite green. Because the endospore coat is so tough, steam is used to enable dye penetration. After washing, only ...

In contrast to direct stains that bind to bacteria directly, a negative stain colors the background of a smear rather than the bacteria. These stains have negatively charged functional groups so they ...