Lactophenol Cotton Blue Stain is recommended for mounting and staining yeast and molds. Lactophenol Cotton Blue Stain is formulated with lactophenol, which serves as a mounting fluid, and cotton blue.
Organisms suspended in the stain are killed due to the presence of phenol. The high concentration of the phenol deactivates lytic cellular enzymes thus the cells do not lyse. Cotton blue is an acid dye that stains the chitin present in the cell walls of fungi.
Procedures:
- Place a drop of Lactophenol Cotton Blue Stain in the center of a clean slide. Remove a fragment of the fungus colony 2-3mm from the colony edge using an inoculating. Place the fragment in the drop of stain and tease gently. Apply a coverslip. Do not push down or tap the cover slip as this may dislodge the conidia from the conidiophores. Examine the preparation under low and high, dry magnification for the presence of characteristic myceli.
Trichophyton microconidia stained with lactophenol cotton blue
Microsporum canis macroconidia stained with lactophenol cotton blue
