What is ziehl neelson?

Ziehl Neelsen is a staining technique used in microbiology and histology to identify acid-fast bacteria, particularly Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative organism of tuberculosis. The staining method was first developed by two German doctors, Franz Ziehl and Friedrich Neelsen, in 1882.

The Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique involves the following steps:

1. Heat-fixed smear of the test material is flooded with carbol-fuchsin dye.
2. The slide is heated to allow the dye to penetrate the bacterial cell wall.
3. The slide is then washed with acid-alcohol solution, which decolorizes the non-acid-fast bacteria.
4. Finally, the slide is counterstained with methylene blue or Brilliant Green to visualize the non-acid-fast bacteria.

The acid-fast bacteria appear as red or pink rods under the microscope, while non-acid-fast bacteria appear blue or green. This technique is widely used in the diagnosis of tuberculosis and other diseases caused by acid-fast bacteria.