Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) for Gram Stain Test Cost & Procedure

This Gram stain is carried out to choose the best course of treatment and pinpoint the bacteria in the fluid.

Why is this test recommended?

Circulating the spinal cord and brain is a biological fluid called cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF.

Gram stain, also referred to as the Gram stain method, is a staining procedure used to separate bacteria into gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria groups. Gram stain is the term used to describe a technique developed by the Danish bacteriologist Hans Christian Gram.

Gram-specific differentiation of bacteria is possible thanks to the physical and chemical properties of the bacterial cell wall. Gram-positive bacteria have thick peptidoglycans in their cell walls that help them retain the primary stain, crystal violet. Lugol's iodine solution is added to the colour to fortify its bonds.

The cell membrane of gram-negative bacteria is stained pink or red by the counterstain because their thinner bacterial cell walls allow the crystal violet to wash off upon adding ethanol (safranin or fuchsine). The CSF Gram Stain test aids in the diagnosis by spotting dangerous microbial pathogens (meningitis, for example) that may impact the brain and result in neurological symptoms in the CSF fluid. Hence, this test aids in lowering the incidence of neurological problems brought on by bacteria that cause infectious diseases.

Gram Stain Test:

• This test looks for harmful pathogenic bacteria in suspected infections, such as those of the throat, lungs, skin, genitalia, and other areas, as well as bodily fluids like blood and urine. Gram-positive and gram-negative infections are the two primary subtypes of bacteria. Based on how the bacteria respond to the gramme stain, a diagnosis is obtained through this screening process.
• Gram-positive bacteria are those that maintain their purple colour when stained with a gramme stain; gram-negative bacteria are those that change colour to red or pink. Gram-positive bacteria can cause toxic shock, methicillin-resistant Strep infections, nosocomial infections, and other conditions.
• The importance of distinguishing between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria allows the doctor to start the most efficient

antibiotic therapy for treating it.

A case is considered to be infected positive if the test reveals the presence of more than 15 colonies of the same organism isolated from peripheral blood in addition to clinical signs and symptoms. The Acid Fast Test is one of the additional gramme stain assays (ee.g.For mycobacterium causing TB etc.). Inflammation (presenting with cardinal signs of inflammation like - rubor, tumour, calor, dolour, and loss of function), blood clots, drop in blood pressure, organ failure, elevated WBCs, etc., are some of the clinical manifestations. Other symptoms include chills, fever, fatigue, nausea, confusion, increased heart rate, nasal flare due to increased breathing, and elevated WBCs. When the est results in a positive impact, additional supportive tests are ordered.