Alberts Stain

Diphtheria was a major disease that caused mortality in children and adults several years ago. With the introduction of diphtheria vaccine, the incidence of this deadly disease has reduced drastically, though, some health centres in India have reported a few scattered cases of diphtheria over the past decade. The best way to uproot diphtheria is by preventing it. This disease mainly affects the upper respiratory tract, but skin ulcerations may be seen in some cases. The following symptoms can prompt a doctor to advise you for Albert’s stain test:

• Tonsillitis
• High fever
• Throat pain
• Difficulty to swallow
• Bull neck with grade III tonsillitis (swelling on the neck)
• Carditis (inflammation in the heart and surrounding area)
• Skin ulcers

Children or adults who have not been vaccinated and show the above symptoms should especially be tested using Albert’s staining technique followed by a microscopic examination.

No special preparations are required before this test. However, the disease is highly infectious, and hence proper care should be taken while handling the nasopharyngeal secretions or skin ulcerations of the affected person. No fasting is required before the test. 

Albert’s stain is a differential staining procedure carried out in a pathology laboratory. Clinical diagnosis of diphtheria should be correlated with the culture and staining reports for confirmation.

The patient is asked to lie down on a bed, and their head is tilted backwards to allow the technician to take a throat swab. The swab is then used to prepare a smear on the slide for a direct microscopic observation after staining it. Slight pain may be felt in the throat after the swab is collected.

Normal results

Albert’s stain test helps to determine the presence of C. diphtheriae in nasopharyngeal secretions collected from a throat swab or a swab from skin ulcers. If the entire slide appears blue in colour under the microscope after the staining procedure, it suggests normal results, indicating the absence of bacteria and rules out the chances of diphtheria.

Abnormal results

If microscopic observation shows two different colours on the smear, it indicates abnormal results and presence of C. diphtheriae. In such smears, the bacilli protoplasm appears blue, and metachromatic granules appear violet red. Immediate clinical correlation and microbial culture studies help in a proper and prompt diagnosis of the disease. Occasionally, if the swab is not collected appropriately or if it dries up, negative results are reported. In such cases, it is advisable to repeat the process of collection and staining.

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. The above information is provided from a purely educational perspective and is in no way a substitute for medical advice from a qualified doctor.