logo
AAT Bioquest

What is the purpose of the gram staining technique in microbiology?

Posted August 23, 2022


Answer

Gram staining is essentially a differential staining technique. It is primarily used to detect the presence of bacteria at the site of a suspected infection and to differentiate between gram positive bacteria and gram negative bacteria. Gram staining may also be used to determine the composition of the cell wall. 

Additional resources

Gram Staining

MycoLight™ Rapid Fluorescence Bacterial Gram Stain Kit

MycoLight™ Rapid Fluorescence Gram-Positive Bacteria Staining Kit

Is the gram stain useful in the microbiologic diagnosis of VAP? A meta-analysis