Histologic Stains for Specific Tissue

   
 
Table 8-1 Histologic Stains for Specific Tissue
 Special StainTargetColor
Collagen/Muscle
 
Masson trichrome
Collagen
Blue or green
 
Muscle, nerves, nuclei
Dark red
 
Verhoeff-van Gieson
Collagen
Red
 
Nuclei, muscles, and nerves
Yellow
 
Aldehyde fuchsin (Gomori)
Collagen
Red
 
Mallory triple stain or trichrome stain
(aniline blue)
Collagen
Blue
 
Muscle
Red
 
PTAH
(phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin)
Collagen
Red
 
Muscle/fibrin
Blue
 
Movat’s pentachrome
Collagen
Yellow
 
Muscle/fibrin
Red
Elastic tissue
 
Verhoeff-van Gieson
Elastic fibers
Black
 
Orcein-Giemsa (Pinkus acid orcein)
Elastic fibers
Black
 
Aldehyde fuchsin (Gomori)
Elastic fibers
Blue or purple
 
Movat’s pentachrome
Elastic fibers
Black
Nerve
 
Bodian
Nerve fibers
Black
Fat
 
Oil-red-O
Lipid
Red
 
Sudan black B
Lipid
Black
 
Scarlet red
Lipid
Red brown
Melanin
 
Fontana-Masson
Melanin
Black
 
Orcein-Giemsa
Melanin
Brown-black
 
Silver nitrate
Melanin
Black
Hemosiderin
 
Perls
Hemosiderin/iron (not melanin)
Bright blue
 
Prussian blue
Iron/hemosiderin
Blue
 
Turnbull’s blue
Iron/hemosiderin
Blue
Calcium
 
Alizarin Red S
Ca++
Reddish orange
 
Von Kossa
Ca++
Brown black
Mucin/Mucopolysaccharides
Toluidine blue
Acid MPS
Purple
Alcian blue
Acid MPS (pH 2.5)
Blue
Sulfated MPS (pH 0.5)
Aldehyde fuchsin (Gomori)
Acid MPS, elastic tissue
Blue
Colloidal iron
Acid MPS
Blue
Crystal violet
Acid MPS
Purple with blue background
Mucicarmine
“Epithelial” mucin
Bright pink (Paget’s, cryptococcus capsule)
Giemsa
Acid MPS
Metachromatically purple
PAS
Neutral MPS
Pink
Amyloid
 
Congo red
Amyloid
Pink-red, green birefringence with polarization
 
Crystal violet
Amyloid
Purple with blue background
 
Thioflavin T
Amyloid
Yellow fluorescence under fluorescent microscope
 
Scarlet red
Amyloid
Red
 
Orcein-Giemsa
Amyloid
Light blue
Mast cells
 
Leder (chloroacetate esterase)
Granules
Red
 
Giemsa
Granules
Purple
 
Toluidine blue
Granules
Purple
 
Tryptase
Granules
Red to brown
Bacteria
 
Gram stain
Gram-positive
Blue

{Brown-Brenn and Brown-Hopps – modified gram stain}
 
Gram-negative
Red

{Brown-Brenn and Brown-Hopps – modified gram stain}
 
Fite
M. leprae, Nocardia
Red

{Fite better than Ziehl–Neelsen for more delicate M. leprae bacilli}
 
Ziehl–Neelsen
Acid fast bacteria
Red

{Fite better than Ziehl–Neelsen for more delicate M. leprae bacilli}
 
Warthin–Starry
Spirochetes
Black
 
Steiner
Spirochetes
Black
 
Giemsa
Leishmania, Histoplasma, Rickettsia
Purple to blue
DNA/RNA
 
Methyl green-pyronin
RNA
Pink-red
 
DNA
Blue-green
 
Feulgen
DNA only
Magenta
Fungi
 
GMS (Gomori methenamine silver)
Donovan bodies, fungi
Black
 
PAS (Periodic acid-Schiff)
Fungi, neutral MPS, glycogen
Red
 
Grocott
Fungi
Fungus cell wall: black