Spores (0.8 µm to 1.5 µm) of microsporidia in stools (Uvitex 2B™ stain X400)

France, Miegeville Michel

Uvitex 2B ™ is a fluorochrome stain which has a high affinity for chitin of fungal wall. When spores of microsporidia are illuminated by 350-380 nm UV light, they stain fluorescent blue. However, this method is not specific for microsporidia, since other microorganisms have chitin in the cell wall, and a positive result should therefore be checked by Weber’s modified trichrome method.