Question

1. the purpose of smear preparation is to fix bacteria to the slide and ______ the cells for staining.
2. gram staining differentiates bacteria based on differences in their ______.
3. the capsule stain is used to visualize the ______ that surrounds some bacterial cells.
4. in the acid - fast stain, non - acid - fast cells take up the ______ counterstain.
5. in the schaeffer - fulton endospore stain, vegetative cells appear ____, while endospores appear ____
6. heat is necessary in both acid - fast and endospore staining because it helps ______.
7. acid - fast bacteria resist staining due to the presence of ______ in their cell walls.
8. endospores are difficult to stain because their cell walls contain ______ that prevents stain penetration.

Explanation:

1. Smear preparation involves making cells ready for staining by spreading them out.
2. Gram - staining differentiates bacteria based on cell wall composition.
3. Capsule stain is for visualizing the capsule around bacteria.
4. In acid - fast stain, non - acid - fast cells take up the counterstain (usually methylene blue).
5. In Schaeffer - Fulton endospore stain, vegetative cells are colored by the counterstain (usually pink) and endospores are green.
6. Heat helps the stain penetrate the cell wall in acid - fast and endospore staining.
7. Acid - fast bacteria resist staining due to mycolic acids in their cell walls.
8. Endospores are hard to stain because of their thick, waxy cell walls with dipicolinic acid.

Answer:

1. Spread out
2. Cell wall composition
3. Capsule
4. Methylene blue
5. Pink; Green
6. Stain penetrate the cell wall
7. Mycolic acids
8. Thick, waxy material (dipicolinic acid)