128 PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY

S.no. Metric Unit Meaning of Prefix Metric Equivalent

1 1 kilometer (km) kilo = 1000 1000 m = 103 m
2 1 meter (m) Standard unit of Length
3 1 decimeter (dm) deci = 1/10 0.1 m = 101 m
4 1 centimeter (cm) centi = 1/100 0.01 m = 102 m
5 1 millimeter (mm) milli = 1/1000 0.001 m = 103 m
6 1 micrometer (m) micro = 1/1,000,000 0.000001 m = 106 m
7 1 nanometer (nm) nano = 1/1,000,000,000 0.000000001 m = 109 m

However, an angstrom ()* is equal to 0.0000000001 m (1010m). Stain usually refers to a

pigment or dye used in colouring specifically the microscopic objects (e.g., microorganisms) and
tissues.

4.6.1. Preparation of Bacterial Specimens for Light Microscopy

As a large segment of living microorganisms invariably appear almost colourless when seen
through a standard light microscope, one should always subject them to a highly specific treatment for
possible vivid observation. Staining (or colouring) is regarded to be one of the widely accepted phe-
nomenon to accomplish the aforesaid objective.
The various aspects of staining shall be duly elaborated in the following sequential manner,
namely :
Stained preparations
Preparation of smears for staining
Gram staining
Differential staining
Miscellaneous staining e.g.,
Capsule staining ; Endospore staining ; Flagellar staining.

4.6.1.1. Stained Preparations

In usual practice a large number of investigative studies related to the specific shapes and cellular
arrangements of various microbes are effectively carried out with the help of stained preparations. In
other words, different means and ways to colour the microorganisms with a particular and appropriate
dye (i.e., staining) is performed meticulously so as to emphasize certain structures vividly and explicitely.
It may be worthwhile to state here that before one commences the staining of the microbes they should
be duly fixed (or attached) onto the surface of the microscopic slide ; naturally without proper fixing,
the requisite stain could wash them off the slide instantly.

4.6.1.2. Preparation of Smears for Staining

The fixing of specific specimen may be accomplished by first spreading a resonably thin film
of the material onto the surface of the microscopic slide. In fact, this thin film, is termed as smear,

* The angstrom () is no more an official unit of measure, but due to its widespread presence in scientific
literature one must be familiar with it.