What is carbol fuschin?

Carbol fuschin is a red-colored stain commonly used in microbiology and pathology laboratories for staining various types of bacteria. It's composed of a mixture of basic fuschin and phenol. The primary function of carbol fuschin is to increase the affinity of the dye to the bacterial cell walls and enhance the visualization of bacterial cells under the microscope. It is particularly useful for staining acid-fast bacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which have a waxy outer layer that is resistant to many other staining methods. Carbol fuschin is typically used in conjunction with other staining techniques, such as gram staining and acid-fast staining, to help identify different types of microorganisms.