Question:medium
A farmer from Himachal Pradesh presents with a small ulcer on the leg. After a few days he develops a swelling in the inguinal region which later ulcerates. Which stain can be used to detect the bipolar-stained organisms?
A farmer from Himachal Pradesh presents with a small ulcer on the leg. After a few days he develops a swelling in the inguinal region which later ulcerates. Which stain can be used to detect the bipolar-stained organisms?
Show Hint
Ulcer plus ulcerating bubo equals plague; pick the stain for safety-pin bipolar bacilli.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Albert's stain
- Wayson's stain
- Ziehl-Neelsen staining
- McFadyean's stain
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
The vignette of a primary ulcer with a later ulcerating groin bubo in an agricultural worker points strongly to plague, an infection by Yersinia pestis. This organism is famous for its bipolar, safety-pin look, where dye concentrates at the two poles of the cell leaving the middle pale. To bring out this appearance the laboratory uses Wayson's stain, a basic fuchsin and methylene blue preparation that renders the bacilli pale blue with prominent dark bipolar tips. The distractors each belong to a different organism: Albert's stain reveals the volutin granules of the diphtheria bacillus, Ziehl-Neelsen targets acid-fast bacilli like the tubercle bacillus, and McFadyean's reaction is the capsule stain for the anthrax bacillus. Matching the bipolar safety-pin clue to the right stain gives Wayson's stain.\[\boxed{\text{Wayson's stain}}\]
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