(English captions by Andrea Matsumoto, University of Michigan.)
Prepare sputum smear by taking the sputum from the sputum container using the loop,
which has been sterilized.
Spread it on the microscope slide very wide, about two to three centimeter diameter and
then flame the loop again.
Flame the sputum smear by fixing it.
These are the spirit lamp and then the stains required for the staining procedure.
Cover the smear with Carbol Fuchsin.
And heat it with the spirit lamp intermittently until it steams but should not boil or the
steam should not get dried and should be done intermittently for five minutes.
Tip the steam off and allow it to cool before washing the excess stain from the slide of
the smear.
Cover the smear with the decolorizer is twenty percent sulfuric acid for two minutes.
After two minutes tip off the decolorizer and wash it under the tap water or distilled
water.
Cover the smear with the counterstain with methylene blue for two minutes.
No heating.
Wash it under the tap water or distilled water.
And air dry it on the draining rack.
Put oil immersion on the smeared slide and then examine it under the times hundred (100X) objective
of the microscope.
And you are expected to see reddish or pinkish bacilli, which can appear in a form of a cocci
or it can also appear as a spiral or it can appear as a dot.