Wright's stain is a hematologic 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 from salts with basic, or eosinophilic, compounds like proteins containing basic amino acid residues such as histidine, arginine and lysine, and stains them dark red ...

(red) and

methylene blue Methylthioninium chloride, commonly called methylene blue, is a salt used as a dye and as a medication. As a medication, it is mainly used to treat methemoglobinemia. It has previously been used for treating cyanide poisoning and urinary trac ...

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 the i ...

s, urine samples, and

bone marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...

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 spectrum, visible light and a system of lens (optics), lenses to generate magnified images of small objects. Optical microscopes ...

. 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, who devised the stain, a modification of the Romanowsky stain, in 1902. Because it distinguishes easily between blood cells, it became widely used for performing differential

white blood cell White blood cells (scientific name leukocytes), also called immune cells or immunocytes, are cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign entities. White blood cells are genera ...

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 nota ...

, azure B, and

(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 and one of the immune system components responsible for combating multicellular parasites and certain infections in vertebrates. Along wi ...

, 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 ...

urinary tract infection A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that affects a part of the urinary tract. Lower urinary tract infections may involve the bladder (cystitis) or urethra (urethritis) while upper urinary tract infections affect the kidney (pyel ...

. White blood cells stained with Wright's stain:

References

{{Romanowsky stains Staining Romanowsky stains

See also

References