Which stain is frequently used to identify Mycobacterium - (Oct/28/2011 )

Which stain is frequently used to identify Mycobacterium? Why is that? Is it to do with the high amounts of lipids contained in the cell wall?

Thanks. SWEngineer Garter
Posts: 23 Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 1:24 pm
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Acid-fast stain is used to identify Mycobacterium species. Mycobacterium contain high levels of mycolic acid in their cell walls which allows them to resist decolorization.