What would happen if you heat fixed the slide before air drying it?
1. If you don't completely air dry your slide, you will end up boiling your microorganisms when heat-fixing. 2. When mixing bacteria with water, if you over mix it can result in inaccurate cell patterns.
Why is it important to allow a smear slide to air dry before the heat fixing step?
Allow the film to air-dry. To get a good stain, it is important to let the smear dry completely. Excess water left on the slide will boil during the fixing stage, causing most microbe present to rupture. Rushing this step will result in a poor final stain.
What happens when you heat fix a slide?
Heat fixing kills cells, and adheres them to the slide. Cells will be rinsed off the slides if they are not heat fixed properly.
Why do you need to heat fix the slide before you proceed to staining?
You heat fix a slide so the bacteria don't wash off during the staining process.
Why is it important not to heat fix the slide until the smears are completely dry?
DO NOT HEAT FIX WET SLIDES. If slides are not dried completely the water will boil on the slide and in the cells and distort shape of the bacteria. b. Pass the smear through the tip of the flame 4 or five times until the slide is hot to the touch.
What will happen if bacterial smears are heat fixed without air drying?
Be patient and take the time to let your slide air dry before proceeding with adhering it to the slide. If your slide is wet and you heat fix it, the bacteria will boil and the cellular morphology will be lost.
Why should you be careful not to overheat the smear during the heat fixing process?
Why is it essential that smears be air-dried? Why can't they be gently heated over the flame to speed up the drying process? * Overheat will denature and rupture the cell wall. * Excess water on the slides will boil during fixation.
What happens if you heat fix too much?
Excessive heat during fixation: Heat fixing the cells, when done to excess, alters the cell morphology and makes the cells more easily decolorized.
Why do the slides have to be heat fixed before staining What do you think would happen if the slides were not heat fixed and then stained?
If you heat fix too little, the bacteria will wash off the slide. If you heat fix too much, you will cook the bacteria and denature them.
What is the purpose of using heat to completely dry a smear after applying bacteria to a slide?
Heat fixing kills the bacteria in the smear, firmly adheres the smear to the slide, and allows the sample to more readily take up stains.
What might happen if a slide were overheated during the heat fixing step?
If the smear is overheated during heat fixing, the cell walls will rupture. Concentration and freshness of reagents may affect the quality of the stain. Washing and drying of the smear between steps should be consistent. Excess water left on the slide will dilute reagents, particularly Gram's iodine.
What does heat fixing do to bacterial smears?
Heat fixing kills the bacteria in the smear, firmly adheres the smear to the slide, and allows the sample to more readily take up stains. Allow the smear to air dry.
What might happen if the slide with the prepared smear was overheated during the heat fixing step?
If the smear is overheated during heat fixing, the cell walls will rupture. Concentration and freshness of reagents may affect the quality of the stain. Washing and drying of the smear between steps should be consistent. Excess water left on the slide will dilute reagents, particularly Gram's iodine.
When Should a slide be heat fixed?
Then either place the slide in the slide holder of a microincinerator, or pass the dried slide through the flame of a Bunsen burner 3 or 4 times, smear side facing up. Once the slide is heat fixed, it can then be stained. Before staining, the sample must be heat fixed.
Why are smears dry before heat fixation?
This is important to ensure that the bacterial culture is fixed to the slide for proper visualization. Because of this, it is important to air dry a bacterial smear before heat fixing to prevent the boiling of excess water. By completely letting the bacterial smear air dry, any excess water is removed.