Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
As a triage nurse in the ER, you begin the assessment of an elderly patient complaining of bloody diarrhea and severe stomach cramps. You find the patient has a fever of 104oF as well, and is showing signs of dehydration. IV fluids are administered while further analysis of the patient continues.
-Testing is performed on the specimen in the laboratory.The Gram stain is an important test,as it differentiates bacteria into two broad classes: gram positive and gram negative.Which step in this process is the differential step,for it only acts upon one type of cell?

Question

Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
  As a triage nurse in the ER, you begin the assessment of an elderly patient complaining of bloody diarrhea and severe stomach cramps. You find the patient has a fever of 104oF as well, and is showing signs of dehydration. IV fluids are administered while further analysis of the patient continues.
-Testing is performed on the specimen in the laboratory.The Gram stain is an important test,as it differentiates bacteria into two broad classes: gram positive and gram negative.Which step in this process is the differential step,for it only acts upon one type of cell?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The decolorization with alcohol is the differential step in the Gram stain process, as it only acts upon the gram negative cells. Gram positive cells retain the crystal violet stain after decolorization, while gram negative cells lose the stain and require the counterstain (safranin) to be visualized. The addition of Gram's iodine (mordant) enhances the crystal violet stain, while the addition of crystal violet stains both gram positive and gram negative cells.

Please Read the Clinical Scenario, and Then Answer the Question