Auramine O Explained

Auramine O is a diarylmethane dye used as a fluorescent stain. In its pure form, Auramine O appears as yellow needle crystals. It is insoluble in water and soluble in ethanol and DMSO.

Auramine O can be used to stain acid-fast bacteria (e.g. Mycobacterium, where it binds to the mycolic acid in its cell wall) in a way similar to Ziehl–Neelsen stain.^[1] It can also be used as a fluorescent version of the Schiff reagent.^[2]

Auramine O can be used together with Rhodamine B as the Truant auramine-rhodamine stain for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.^{[3] [4]} It can be also used as an antiseptic agent.

External links

• Auramine O spectra data

Notes and References

1. Kommareddi S, Abramowsky C, Swinehart G, Hrabak L . Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections: comparison of the fluorescent auramine-O and Ziehl–Neelsen techniques in tissue diagnosis . Hum Pathol . 15 . 11 . 1085–9 . 1984 . 6208117 . 10.1016/S0046-8177(84)80253-1.
2. Khavkin T, Kudryavtseva M, Dragunskaya E, Polotsky Y, Kudryavtsev B . 3. Fluorescent PAS-reaction study of the epithelium of normal rabbit ileum and after challenge with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli . Gastroenterology . 78 . 4 . 782–90 . 1980 . 6986320. 10.1016/0016-5085(80)90684-8 . free .
3. Truant J, Brett W, Thomas W . Fluorescence microscopy of tubercle bacilli stained with auramine and rhodamine . Henry Ford Hosp Med Bull . 10 . 287–96 . 1962 . 13922644.
4. Arrowood M, Sterling C . Comparison of conventional staining methods and monoclonal antibody-based methods for Cryptosporidium oocyst detection . J Clin Microbiol . 27 . 7 . 1490–5 . 1989 . 2475523 . 267601. 10.1128/JCM.27.7.1490-1495.1989 .