What is carbofuchsin?

Carbofuchsin, also known as phenol fuchsin or basic fuchsin, is a dye used in microbiology for staining bacterial structures such as spores and acid-fast bacteria. It is a mixture of two different dyes: fuchsine, which is a triarylmethane dye, and phenol, which acts as a solubilizer.

The staining process involves heating the bacterial sample with carbofuchsin, which penetrates the cell wall and binds to the lipids in the bacterial cell membrane. Acid-fast bacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, have a high amount of lipids in their cell walls and retain the dye even when washed with acid-alcohol. Non-acid-fast bacteria are washed away during the staining process and are counterstained with another dye, such as methylene blue.

Carbofuchsin is also used in histology to stain proteins, nucleic acids, and other cellular structures. It is an important component of Ziehl-Neelsen stain, which is used to diagnose tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections. Additionally, carbofuchsin is used in the textile industry as a dye for wool, silk, and other fabrics.