A smear of sputum from the patient with suspected lobar pneumonia was stained with the use of the following stains and reagents: solution of gentian violet, Lugol's solution, 96o alcohol, water-magenta. What staining method was applied in this case?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Gram staining method. This method involves staining with gentian violet, followed by Lugol's solution, 96% alcohol decolorization, and counterstaining with safranin or water-magenta. This staining sequence allows for the differentiation of bacteria based on their cell wall composition. In the case of lobar pneumonia, the causative agent is typically a bacterium with a cell wall that retains the crystal violet stain after decolorization with alcohol, indicating a Gram-positive bacterium.
Summary of Incorrect Choices:
B: Ziehl-Nielsen staining is used for acid-fast bacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis, not for lobar pneumonia.
C: Romanovsky staining is primarily used in the identification of blood cells and blood parasites, not for bacteria.
D: Neisser staining is not a commonly used staining method in microbiology for bacterial identification.