Gram staining is a technique where certain stains are used to identify bacteria. It was discovered in 1884 by Hans Christian Gram where he used stains to differentiate bacterial cells in diseased lung tissue. Gram staining has evolved over time to become a trusted and common diagnostic tool used in clinical and research settings. Gram stains are mainly used to identify unknown bacteria. It is often the first test used on an unknown sample of bacteria. For medicinal uses gram staining is commonly used to help determine the type of treatment needed for a specific bacterial infection (Brown and Smith 105). According to Mayo Clinic, the Gram stain is used as a preliminary differentiation of microorganisms. It is simple, inexpensive, and quick and provides accurate results for determining the identity of bacteria. Typically, the Gram stain is used to determine the presence of bacteria in cerebrospinal and synovial fluid (Clinical: Gram Stain).
Amazingly, in Japan, at the Okinawa Chubu Hospital, gram-staining plays an impressive role for patients. In the emergency room, bed-side Gram stains are performed to determine appropriate antibiotics. In this hospital, gram-staining techniques were used to decide quickly and efficiently which antibacterial drug to use …show more content…
This observation was also deemed correct and helped us determine that Escherichia coli was a gram-negative bacterium (Figure below). We knew that the pink indicated gram-negative because gram-negative cells have an outer membrane that covers a thinner layer of peptidoglycan than gram-positive cells. The thick peptidoglycan layer under the outer membrane does not trap the crystal violet dye after the decolorizer, ethyl alcohol, is applied because it dissolves the lipids in the outer membrane, allowing the crystal violet to escape through the thinner peptidoglycan layer (Brown & Smith,
Amazingly, in Japan, at the Okinawa Chubu Hospital, gram-staining plays an impressive role for patients. In the emergency room, bed-side Gram stains are performed to determine appropriate antibiotics. In this hospital, gram-staining techniques were used to decide quickly and efficiently which antibacterial drug to use …show more content…
This observation was also deemed correct and helped us determine that Escherichia coli was a gram-negative bacterium (Figure below). We knew that the pink indicated gram-negative because gram-negative cells have an outer membrane that covers a thinner layer of peptidoglycan than gram-positive cells. The thick peptidoglycan layer under the outer membrane does not trap the crystal violet dye after the decolorizer, ethyl alcohol, is applied because it dissolves the lipids in the outer membrane, allowing the crystal violet to escape through the thinner peptidoglycan layer (Brown & Smith,