Dictionary > Gram-indeterminate bacteria

Gram-indeterminate bacteria

Definition
noun, singular: gram-indeterminate bacterium
Bacteria that do not respond to gram staining and, therefore, are indeterminate as either Gram-positive or Gram-negative
Supplement
Gram’s method or gram staining is a simple microbiological procedure that enables quick identification of bacterial species as either gram-positive or gram-negative. Bacterial cells that are violet in color from the primary staining (with crystal violet dye) under the microscope are called gram-positive. Bacterial cells that lose the violet color and take the counterstain color are called gram-negative bacteria. The differing color results in bacterial cells after gram staining are associated with the structural differences in bacterial cell’s outer covering. Gram-positive bacteria have a thick cell wall comprised of a lot of peptidoglycans and teichoic acids that enable them to retain the crystal violet colour. Gram-negative bacteria have less peptidoglycan. The crystal violet gram stain colour is easily lost from ethanol-alcohol mix during decolorization. Because of this, they can be stained with the safranin dye (pink) after counterstaining. There are certain bacteria that are not responding the same way to gram staining, such as acid fast bacteria. It is because they have a different type of cell envelope. The fatty acids in their cell wall resist gram staining. For this type of bacteria, Ziehl-Neelson staining method is used.
Compare:

See also:

  • gram staining


  • You will also like...

    squirrel
    Animal Water Regulation

    Animals adapt to their environment in aspects of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This tutorial will help you understa..

    Plant Water Regulation
    Plant Water Regulation

    Plants need to regulate water in order to stay upright and structurally stable. Find out the different evolutionary adap..

    Water Cycle
    The Water Cycle

    The water cycle (also referred to as the hydrological cycle) is a system of continuous transfer of water from the air, s..

    Adaptation Tutorial
    Adaptation Tutorial

    Adaptation, in biology and ecology, refers to the process or trait through which organisms or the populations in a habit..

    Plant biology
    Plant Biology

    Plantlife can be studied at a variety of levels, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, c..

    Early Earth
    The Origins of Life

    This tutorial digs into the past to investigate the origins of life. The section is split into geological periods in the..

    Related Articles...

    No related articles found

    See all Related Topics