| Table 8-1 Histologic Stains for Specific Tissue |
| | Special Stain | | Target | | Color |
| 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 |
| | | | | | |
