Leishman stain

Leishman's stain (CAS:12627-53-1, EC: 235-732-1, MFCD:00131498), also Leishman stain, is used in microscopy for staining blood smears. It provides excellent stain quality. It is generally used to differentiate and identify leucocytes, malaria parasites, and trypanosomas. It is based on a methanolic mixture of "polychromed" methylene blue (i.e. demethylated into various azures) and eosin. The methanolic stock solution is stable and also serves the purpose of directly fixing the smear eliminating a prefixing step. If a working solution is made by dilution with an aqueous buffer the resulting mixture is very unstable and cannot be used for long. It also contains aceton free methyl alcohol for fixation of smear. Leishman stain is named after its inventor, the Scottish pathologist William Boog Leishman. It is similar to and partially replaceable with Giemsa stain, Jenner's stain, and Wright's stain (See more details in Advantages disadvantages and comparisons section below). Like them, it is a version of Romanowsky stain.