A procedure that requires the use of a single dye to stain a specimen is called which type of staining?

• A. Simple staining
• B. Differential staining
• C. Gram staining
• D. Negative staining

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that staining techniques in microbiology are used to enhance the contrast of microscopic specimens, making cellular structures more visible under a microscope.
2. Recognize that staining methods can be broadly categorized into simple staining and differential staining based on the number of dyes used and the information they provide.
3. Identify that a procedure using only one dye to color the specimen is called simple staining, which highlights the entire microorganism uniformly.
4. Note that differential staining involves multiple dyes to distinguish between different types of cells or cellular components, such as Gram staining.
5. Conclude that since the question specifies the use of a single dye, the correct classification of the staining procedure is simple staining.