Albert stain is a classic microbiological staining technique, Albert stain is used to detect Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the bacterium responsible for diphtheria.
It is an infectious disease that can cause acute respiratory arrest, acute systemic toxicity, myocarditis and death. Several years ago, diphtheria was one of the leading causes of death in tropical countries globally.
The diphtheria pathogen can be detected in nasopharyngeal secretions. The diagnosis can therefore be made by staining smears of these secretions using Albert stain and by other microbiological tests.
The main symptoms of diphtheria are sore throat and the formation of a brown layer in the throat, in some cases there may be blisters on the skin.
C. diphtheriae is used in Albert staining which is composed of metachromatic granules. It consists of cytoplasm, RNA and polyphosphate. Albert stain is a different type of stain that uses the acidic dye toluidine blue to stain the bacterial protoplasm blue and the granules violet red. Thus the presence of C diphtheria is confirmed.
Why is Albert stain test done?
Many years ago diphtheria was the leading cause of death among children and adults. This deadly disease has come down after the diphtheria vaccine was introduced, but diphtheria cases have still been reported in some health centers in India over the years.
Prevention is better than cure for diphtheria. The disease mainly affects the upper part of the respiratory tract and in some cases blisters can also be seen on the skin. If the following symptoms are observed, the doctor may recommend Albert stain test:
tonsillitis
high fever
Throat pain
difficulty swallowing
Thick neck (swollen neck) with grade 3 tonsillitis.
Carditis (inflammation in and around the heart)
Ulcers of the skin
Children or adults who have not been vaccinated and are showing the symptoms mentioned above are asked to undergo albert stain test after microscopic examination.
Preparing Before Lab Tests
No special preparation is required before the test. However, this brimari is highly contagious so great care should be taken in treating nasopharyngeal secretions or skin ulcers. There is no need to fast before the test.
How is the test done?
Albert stain test is a separate staining procedure in the pathology laboratory. In the clinical examination of diphtheria, it is confirmed after the culture and staining report comes.
For the test, the patient is asked to lie down and his head is lifted backwards so that the swab can be taken from the throat. The swab is then used to prepare a smear on a slide for direct microscopic observation after staining. You may feel a slight sore throat after taking the swab.
lab test results
General results:
The Albert stain test is used to detect C. diphtheria in nasopharyngeal secretions by taking swabs from throat or skin ulcers.
If blue color is visible inside the microscope after the whole slide staining process, it means that the result is normal. This means that it does not contain bacteria and the possibility of diphtheria is eliminated.
Abnormal results:
If microscopic examination shows two distinct colors at the top of the smear, it means that the result is abnormal and C. diphtheria is present.In such smears, the bacilli protoplasm appears blue and the metachromatic granules appear purplish red.
Prompt clinical correlation and microbial culture studies help in the correct diagnosis of the disease.Sometimes, if the swab is not taken properly or it gets dry, it may give a negative result. In such cases, it is advised to get the test done again.