THE USE OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS AS ALTERNATIVE DYE IN GRAM'S STAINING TECHNIQUES
Abstract
Dyestuff from Nigerian plants was extracted and their staining ability on bacteria was determined. This project research was carried out to demonstrate the potential use of Hibiscus sabdariffa, Curcuma longa, Lawsonia inermis and Beta vulgaris extracts as dyes/stains on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. From the findings, the best of the four dyes that stained the bacteria with satisfactory results were the Hibiscus sabdariffa and Beta vulgaris. However, the effectiveness of the Curcuma longa and Lawsonia inermis was low compared to the others as they stain the bacteria poorly. Possible findings from the study extracts as stains provides useful alternative that would be readily accessible and cheap which can translate to lower cost of laboratory stains for better management of patients. The results obtained indicate that extracts with good staining ability have the potential for use in the morphological identification of microorganisms and not only used in diagnostic microbiology but also in histology for future studies.
Full-Text Access Notice
In accordance with the NERD Policy on promoting peer-reviewed publication, public access to the full text of a project, thesis or dissertation is restricted for three years, allowing the author and supervisors sufficient time to pursue peer-reviewed publication.
During this period, researchers with legitimate academic or research purposes may request authorisation directly from the author to enable NERD to release the indexed full texts of the work using the form below.