HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Wright's stain is a
hematologic Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...
stain that facilitates the differentiation of
blood cell A blood cell, also called a hematopoietic cell, hemocyte, or hematocyte, is a cell produced through hematopoiesis and found mainly in the blood. Major types of blood cells include red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), ...
types. It is classically a mixture of
eosin Eosin is the name of several fluorescent acidic compounds which bind to and form salts with basic, or eosinophilic, compounds like proteins containing amino acid residues such as arginine and lysine, and stains them dark red or pink as a resul ...
(red) and
methylene blue Methylthioninium chloride, commonly called methylene blue, is a salt used as a dye and as a medication. Methylene blue is a thiazine dye. As a medication, it is mainly used to treat methemoglobinemia by converting the ferric iron in hemoglobi ...
dyes. It is used primarily to stain
peripheral blood smear A blood smear, peripheral blood smear or blood film is a thin layer of blood smeared on a glass microscope slide and then stained in such a way as to allow the various blood cells to be examined microscopically. Blood smears are examined in th ...
s, urine samples, and bone marrow aspirates, which are examined under a
light microscope The optical microscope, also referred to as a light microscope, is a type of microscope that commonly uses visible light and a system of lenses to generate magnified images of small objects. Optical microscopes are the oldest design of microsc ...
. In
cytogenetics Cytogenetics is essentially a branch of genetics, but is also a part of cell biology/cytology (a subdivision of human anatomy), that is concerned with how the chromosomes relate to cell behaviour, particularly to their behaviour during mitosis an ...
, it is used to stain chromosomes to facilitate diagnosis of syndromes and diseases. It is named for
James Homer Wright James Homer Wright (April 8, 1869 – January 3, 1928) was an early and influential American pathologist, who was chief of pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital from 1896 to 1926. Wright was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1915, he ...
, who devised the stain, a modification of the
Romanowsky stain Romanowsky staining, also known as Romanowsky–Giemsa staining, is a prototypical staining technique that was the forerunner of several distinct but similar stains widely used in hematology (the study of blood) and cytopathology (the study of di ...
, in 1902. Because it distinguishes easily between blood cells, it became widely used for performing differential
white blood cell White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...
counts, which are routinely ordered when conditions such as infection or leukemia are suspected. The related stains are known as the buffered Wright stain, the Wright-Giemsa stain (a combination of Wright and
Giemsa Giemsa stain (), named after German chemist and bacteriologist Gustav Giemsa, is a nucleic acid stain used in cytogenetics and for the histopathological diagnosis of malaria and other parasites. Uses It is specific for the phosphate groups of ...
stains), and the buffered Wright-Giemsa stain, and specific instructions depend on the solutions being used, which may include
eosin Y Eosin Y, also called C.I. 45380 or C.I. Acid Red 87, is a member of the triarylmethane dyes. It is produced from fluorescein by bromination. Use Eosin Y is commonly used as the red dye in red inks. It is commonly used in histology, most notabl ...
,
azure B Azure may refer to: Colour * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...
, and
methylene blue Methylthioninium chloride, commonly called methylene blue, is a salt used as a dye and as a medication. Methylene blue is a thiazine dye. As a medication, it is mainly used to treat methemoglobinemia by converting the ferric iron in hemoglobi ...
(some commercial preparations combine solutions to simplify staining). The May–Grünwald stain, which produces a more intense coloration, also takes a longer time to perform. Urine samples stained with Wright's stain will identify
eosinophils Eosinophils, sometimes called eosinophiles or, less commonly, acidophils, are a variety of white blood cells (WBCs) and one of the immune system components responsible for combating multicellular parasites and certain infections in vertebrates. ...
, which can indicate
interstitial nephritis Interstitial nephritis, also known as tubulointerstitial nephritis, is inflammation of the area of the kidney known as the renal interstitium, which consists of a collection of cells, extracellular matrix, and fluid surrounding the renal tubules ...
or urinary tract infection. White blood cells stained with Wright's stain:


See also

*
Diff-Quik Diff-Quik is a commercial Romanowsky stain variant used to rapidly stain and differentiate a variety of pathology specimens. It is most frequently used for blood films and cytopathological smears, including fine needle aspirates. The Diff-Quik ...
*
Leishman stain Leishman stain, also known as Leishman's stain, is used in microscopy for staining blood smears. It is generally used to differentiate between and identify white blood cells, malaria parasites, and trypanosomas. It is based on a methanolic mixture ...
*
List of histologic stains that aid in diagnosis of cutaneous conditions A number of histologic stains are used in the field of dermatology that aid in the diagnosis of conditions of or affecting the human integumentary system. Footnotes See also * List of conditions associated with café au lait macules * L ...
*
Romanowsky stain Romanowsky staining, also known as Romanowsky–Giemsa staining, is a prototypical staining technique that was the forerunner of several distinct but similar stains widely used in hematology (the study of blood) and cytopathology (the study of di ...
*
Staining (biology) Staining is a technique used to enhance contrast in samples, generally at the microscopic level. Stains and dyes are frequently used in histology (microscopic study of biological tissues), in cytology (microscopic study of cells), and in the ...


References

{{Romanowsky stains Staining Romanowsky stains