Get Virtual Care
Gram stain
The two major families of common bacteria are distinguished by the chemistry of their walls, specifically the ability of iodine to mordant their staining with crystal violet and prevent its being removed with strong solvent. Gram positives include staph and strep, while gram negatives include e. Coli. The stain has been in use for around 150 years and remains the most popular in bacteriology.
Dr. Ed Friedlander reviewed this
46 year experience in Pathology
Tests for
Related questions
A 29-year old male asked:
What is the definition or description of: gram stain?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 31-year old asked:
Gram stain can find the result for clamaydia. True?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 36-year old asked:
Confused about whether is better for my gram stain to be positive or negative?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
A 52-year old asked:
How can I know the gram stain reaction without doing a gram stain in staphylococcus epidermidis?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 43-year old asked:
Gram stain and nongonococcal urethritis, what is this?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 25-year old female asked:
What's a rare gram negative rods mean? It was taken vaginally via gram stain.
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 38-year old asked:
Is it possible to know the gram stain reaction without doing a gram stain in escherichia coli?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 34-year old female asked:
How does Dr. K know for certain that all these bites people describe as spider bites are MRSA if he hasn't cultured them or preformed a gram stain?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A male asked:
Spotted fever gram stain?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 50-year old male asked:
What is this test for :CULT & GRAM STAIN SPUTUM.
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A female asked:
Had my GRAM STAIN TEST : result is MANY GRAM POSITIVE BACILLI . What does it mean? I am infected?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 25-year old female asked:
Wondering what my sinus culture means? Gram Stain: Many polys Mod squamous epith cells Rare pos cocci
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 58-year old male asked:
Gram Stain 10 Squamous epithelial cells/LPF of lungs Meaning?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 43-year old female asked:
Just curious but what does rare WBC in a gram stain final CSF mean?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 22-year old male asked:
Gram stain possitive cocci seen in pairs and chains (+) in the report. I am facing problem in ut and GI track. Headache and cough problem.
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
A female asked:
I had a sputum test and the resulta were as follows - Few epithelial cells, few white cells. Mixed flora seen on gram stain. What does this mean?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 28-year old female asked:
Pls interpret vagina gram stain reslt.Gm Stain (-),Polymorphonuclear-Moderate,Epi cells-Moderate,Gm(+)Cocci pairs-Few,Gm(+)bacili-Mod,Gm(-)bacili-rare?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A male asked:
Gram stain sputum- presence of few epithelial cells, moderate number of pus cells,few gram positive cocci in chain observed in smear What does this in?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 29-year old male asked:
What does it mean if a semen culture said rare white blood cells seen on a gram stain smear?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 31-year old female asked:
What does a Vaginal gram stain of many epithelial cells , moderate WBCs seen, many gram positive rods, & moderate gram positive cocci indicate?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A male asked:
I got gram stain from penile discharge recently and below are my results. Can somebody tell me what they mean? Rare puss cells Rare gram + bacillus
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 26-year old female asked:
My gram stain results: many gram negative rods, few gram positive cocci, strep.-like, rare wbcs. I completed a 10 day course of pcn, i still have s/sx?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 24-year old female asked:
Just got my HVS results could you please help me what does my report indicate. Pus cell 0-1, RBC 0-1, Epethelial cells- Present, T-vaginalisi- none, Gram stain - many yeasy cells and moderete gram positive bacili seen.
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 27-year old female asked:
Vaginal swab result direct smear: no trichomonas gram stain : epithelial cells positive cocci and positive bacilli..Is it normal?
1 doctor answer • 5 doctors weighed in
A female asked:
I had recent pap smear & gram stain test. It shows shows many Gram positive cocci.Many epithelial cells & moderate pus cells. Should I be alarmed?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 37-year old female asked:
Sputum culture showed normal flora.gram stain showed mod.amt of gram positive and neg. bacilli and mod.amt of gram positive cocci.few wbc.concerns?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 40-year old male asked:
I recently had surgery and had a gram stain test taken from my chest and it said that I have rare white blood cells. Is that normal and is it okay to have?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 46-year old female asked:
My results from culture sputum: gram stain: moderate red blood cell, many gram positive cocci in gram stain, many gram positive bacilli, many negative bacilli in gram stain . What that mean?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 31-year old female asked:
Had HVS test with these results pus cells 3-5,epithelial cells 20-25,gram stain-gram positive cocci in clusters,culture isolate-methicillin resistant staphylocuccus saprophyticus.Please what does it means?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 45-year old female asked:
I just got some pathology back from a cyst aspiration. Exact words "COLORLESS CLOUDY/ GRAM STAIN NO BACTERIA OBSERVED RARE NEUTROPHILS/ CULTURE RESULT NO GROWTH AFTER 3 DAYS." Can you please help me interpret, esp. the rare neutrophils part? Thanks?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Download HealthTap
Video visit and message your doctor
