How does the decolorizer in the acid-fast stain differ from the decolorizer in Gram stain?
The decolorizer in the acid-fast stain is acid/alcohol whereas the decolorizer in gram stain is acetone/ethanol. In an acid-fast stain, the pathogens retain color even in the presence of acid. For example, tuberculosis would retain the red dye carbolfuchsin (a mixture of phenol and basic fuchsin) even after it was washed with a powerful solvent made of a mixture of acid and alcohol. In Gram's staining, the decolorizing agent more easily washes the dye out of cells with thinner peptidoglycan layers, making them again colorless.
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