TRICHROME STAIN (Wheatley's): Introduction

The trichrome technique of Wheatley for fecal specimens is a modification of Gomori's original staining procedure for tissue. It is a rapid, simple procedure which produces uniformly well stained smears of the intestinal protozoa, human cells, yeast cells, and artifact material in about 45 min or less.

The specimen usually consists of fresh stool smeared on a microscope slide that is immediately fixed in Schaudinn's fixative or PVA-preserved stool smeared on a slide and allowed to air dry. Although SAF- and MIF-preserved specimens can be stained with trichrome, there are other stains which are recommended for better overall results.