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gram stain

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.

gram stain

Staining technique for the initial identification of bacteria, devised in 1884 by the Danish physician Hans Christian Gram (1853–1938). The stain reveals basic differences in the biochemical and structural properties of a living cell. A slide containing a smear of bacteria is treated with a purple dye; the slide is then dipped in an iodine solution, followed by an organic solvent (such as alcohol) that can dissolve the dye. Gram-positive bacteria remain purple because they have a thick cell wall that the solvent cannot easily penetrate; gram-negative bacteria lose their colour because they have thin cell walls that allow the solvent to penetrate and remove the dye.


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Tissue culture from secretions from both patients showed gram-positive cocci in clusters on the Gram stain, and subsequent cultures yielded MRSA.
A variety of diagnostic techniques were used; the analyses were based on the 1,938 women who had complete data for assessment of bacterial vaginosis according to Nugent Gram stain criteria.
and Canada, announces the completion of a clinical study that proves the proprietary layered thin film (LTF(TM)) QuickVue(R) Advance pH and Amines rapid test achieves a clinical sensitivity of 92 percent, specificity of 95 percent and overall accuracy of 94 percent when compared to traditional, more time consuming and more technically demanding procedures such as Amsel clinical criteria and Gram Stain for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV).
 
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