Pfeiffer Fuchsin

Pfeiffer fuchsin is a dye used in microbiology to stain bacteria. Named after the Austrian pathologist Richard Friedrich Johannes Pfeiffer (1877-1945), who introduced this dye into the practice of staining microorganisms.

Pfeiffer fuchsin belongs to the group of basic dyes. It stains Gram-negative bacteria red while Gram-positive bacteria remain unstained. This allows Pfeiffer fuchsin to be used in combination with other dyes (for example, methylene blue) for differential Gram staining.

Pfeiffer fuchsin is widely used to detect bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and shigella. It is also used to stain spore-forming bacteria such as Bacillus anthracis. Thanks to its bright and contrasting color, Pfeiffer fuchsin allows one to clearly visualize the morphology of bacterial cells under a microscope.