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An endospore is a dormant, tough, and non-reproductive structure produced by some bacteria in the phylum Bacillota. [1] [2] The name "endospore" is suggestive of a spore or seed-like form (endo means 'within'), but it is not a true spore (i.e., not an offspring). It is a stripped-down, dormant form to which the bacterium can reduce itself.
Endospore staining is a technique used in bacteriology to identify the presence of endospores in a bacterial sample. [1] Within bacteria, endospores are protective structures used to survive extreme conditions, including high temperatures making them highly resistant to chemicals. [ 2 ]
Endospore made visible with a stain. Moeller staining involves the use of a steamed dye reagent in order to increase the stainability of endospores. Carbol fuchsin is the primary stain used in this method. Endospores are stained red, while the counterstain methylene blue stains the vegetative bacteria blue.
A stained preparation of Bacillus subtilis showing endospores as green and the vegetative cell as red. The Schaeffer–Fulton stain is a technique designed to isolate endospores by staining any present endospores green, and any other bacterial bodies red. [1]
Bacterial spores have proven to be difficult to stain as they are not permeable to aqueous dye reagents. Endospore staining is particularly useful for identifying endospore-forming bacterial pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile. Prior to the development of more efficient methods, this stain was performed using the Wirtz method with heat ...
Fig1. The sporulation process of Bacillus subtilis. Bacillus subtilis is a rod-shaped, Gram-positive bacteria that is naturally found in soil and vegetation, and is known for its ability to form a small, tough, protective and metabolically dormant endospore.
The location of an endospore within a cell is species-specific and can be used to determine the identity of a bacterium. Dipicolinic acid is a chemical compound which composes 5% to 15% of the dry weight of bacterial spores and is implicated in being responsible for the heat resistance of endospores.
Clostridium species are endospore-forming bacteria, and can survive in atmospheric concentrations of oxygen in this dormant form. The remaining bacteria listed do not form endospores. The remaining bacteria listed do not form endospores.