Thermo Scientific™ Calcofluor White Stain Kit

Description

Use Thermo Scientific™ Remel™ Calcofluor White Stain Kit as a rapid, non-specific fluorochrome stain for the initial microscopic detection of fungal elements, yeasts, Acanthamoeba cysts, microsporidia, and Pneumocystis carinii in clinical specimens. Hageage and Harrington described the use of calcofluor white (CFW) to demonstrate hyphae and yeasts in clinical specimens¹. More recently calcofluor white has been used to detect fungi in direct preparations and in deparaffinized tissue sections^2,3.

Calcofluor White Stain Kit is a fluorescent stain for rapid detection of yeasts, fungi and parasitic organisms. Calcofluor White is a non-specific fluorochrom that binds to cellucose and chitin in cell walls. Upon excitation with long wave ultraviolet light, this compound delineates the cell walls of cellulose-containing organisms². Addition of clearing agent such as potassium hydroxide to the specimen helps in dissolving tissue cells prior to staining with calcofluor white. Evans blue dye is incorporated in the stain to minimize background material.

• Ready-to-use – Prepared reagents
• Easy-to-store – Store in its original container at room temperature until further use
• Easy to interpret –
  • Fungal elements, yeasts show bright apple green fluorescence with typical morphology
  • Acanthamoeba cysts are cysts (10-25 μm) that appear corrugated and double walled with bright apple-green fluorescence and bright orange cytoplasm
  • Microsporidia is intestinal microsporidia spores range in size from 0.9-1.5 μm to 1.2-2.0 μm, cell wall is brightened but staining is not specific and show apple-green fluorescence
  • Pneumocystis carinii is cyst that is 5-8 μm in diameter and contain up to 8 crescent or pleomorphic shaped sporozoites; cell wall and double parenthesis structures inside the cysts stain intensely showing brilliant apple green fluorescence
  • Bacteria are typical coccoid or bacillary shape and weak to no fluorescence

Kit includes the reagents such as Potassium Hydroxide (Reagent A) along with Calcofluor White and Evans Blue Dye (Reagent B).

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Remel™ and Oxoid™ products are now part of the Thermo Scientific brand.