DIAGNOSTIC METHODS: Permanent Stains

1. What is the purpose of the permanent stained smear?

2. How long should the permanent stained smear be examined?

3. What recent changes have influenced the overall quality of the permanent stained smear?

4. What is the purpose of the iodine dish in Wheatley's trichrome stain protocol?

5. Why don't you need to use the iodine dish when staining fecal smears prepared from specimens preserved in the newer single vial systems (zinc sulfate based PVA)?