acid-fast

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ac·id-fast

(ăs′ĭd-făst′)

adj.

Not decolorized by acid after staining, as bacteria that retain dye after an acid rinse.

ac′id-fast′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

acid-fast

adj

(Microbiology) (of bacteria and tissues) resistant to decolorization by mineral acids after staining

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ac′id-fast`

adj.

resistant to decolorizing by acidified alcohol after staining.

[1900–05]

ac′id-fast`ness, n.

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Adj.

acid-fast - not easily decolorized by acid solutions; pertains to micro-organisms (especially the tubercle bacillus that causes tuberculosis)

imperviable, impervious - not admitting of passage or capable of being affected; "a material impervious to water"; "someone impervious to argument"

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References in periodicals archive ?

Slit-skin smear from the earlobe revealed numerous acid-fast bacilli with globi (Figure 3).

Leprosy presenting as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome - report of three cases

Necropsy and histologic investigation identified reduction in the diameter of the vertebral canal and spinal cord at cervical segments 8-9 with coalescing granulomas and intralesional acid-fast bacilli within the intertrabecular space, left side of the clavicular air sac, and cranial left lung.

J Zoo Wildl Med.: Multifocal respiratory and vertebral mycobacteriosis in a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Cytomorphology with acid-fast staining is a valuable diagnostic tool in cases of tuberculosis.

Comparison of fine-needle aspiration technique with Ziehl-Neelsen stains in diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis

The bacterial tissue cultures, blood cultures, acid-fast bacilli smears and cultures on tissue failed to demonstrate any pathogenic organisms.

Cases in clinical microbiology

Tuberculosis is diagnosed on finding acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on direct microscopic examination of sputum smear but this is not a very sensitive technique2 and almost 50% cases with tuberculosis can present with negative results3,4.

Role of mycobacterium culture in the diagnosis of smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis suspects attending tertiary care setting

A definitive preoperative diagnosis is frequently difficult to obtain since acid-fast bacilli smears or cultures, fine-needle aspiration and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are often falsely negative.

Tuberculous empyema presenting as a persistent chest wall mass: case report

The pus stained positive for bacteria and acid-fast bacilli, and culture was positive for Proteus vulgaris and mycobacteria.

Complicated coexisting pyogenic and tuberculous otitis media affecting the temporozygomatic, infratemporal, and parotid areas: report of a rare entity

We suggest 2 helpful although not so popular diagnostic methods--autofluorescence and acid-fast stain--for easy detection of CLCs.

Demonstration of Charcot-Leyden crystals in eosinophilic cystitis

Ziehl-Neelsen staining often fails to demonstrate acid-fast bacilli, and diagnosis rests on the detection of typical histological changes.

Intramyocardial tuberculosis--a rare underdiagnosed entity

Peritoneal biopsy was negative for malignancy, acid-fast bacilli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex DNA.

Tuberculosis resembling a malignant tumour

Background & objectives: Improper practices of making direct smears of sputum for detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and of disposing sputum cups are hazardous.

Phenol ammonium sulphate basic fuchsin staining of sputum in pot for the detection of acid-fast bacilli

The tissue sections were negative for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) by the Ehrlich-Ziehl-Neelsen stain, and cultures of the biopsy material and blood were negative.