Leishman stain

Thin blood smear.

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Leishman stain

• Acid-base staining
• Acid (Red)    - bind to cytoplasm
• Base (Blue)   - bind to nucleic acid (RNA, DNA...)

Procedures:

1. Make a thin blood film by positioning the cover slip 30º~45º on a drop of blood, and wait it to dry completely.
2. Then, place the slide on the rack and fully cover it with the Leishman stain.
   
   
   
3. Wait for 4 minutes and add few drops of buffer with pH 6.5
   
   
   
4. Gently blow or rock the slide to evenly mix the buffer with the stain.
5. Wait for 12 minutes before washing those stains off from the slide with smooth running water.
6. Allow the slide to be air dried.
7. Look under microscope.

Examples:

The platelets are loosely distributed among the red blood cells.