Kimberly,
I do the GMS and oxidize in 5% Chromic acid for 1 hour at room temp. I have 
done this for 20 years. Works fine.

At one time, we used zinc formalin in place of the uranyl nitrate in the 
Steiner. Use for same amount of time as called for using uranyl nitrate. We 
used it for only a few months, but did not seem to affect stain.




At 01:47 PM 12/7/2000 -0500, Kimcatk@aol.com wrote:
>Dear HistoNet colleagues,
>      It is great to have HistoNet working again!  Thank you to those of 
> you who responded to my posting.  I got some leads on staining for fungi 
> and spirochetes, but I still have some questions.
>      Has anyone done Grocott's Methenamine Silver (GMS) without heating 
> the chromic acid?  I heard that it is possible to oxidize in the chromic 
> acid for an hour instead of heating it, but I do not have a procedure.
>      Also, I am looking for a procedure for Steiner Chapman because that 
> replaces the uranium/uranyl nitrate with some type of zinc solution.
>      I would be very grateful for any help you could provide.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Kimberly Atkin HT (ASCP)
>Boston, MA
>
>
>In a message dated Tue, 5 Dec 2000  8:52:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
>Kimcatk writes:
>
><< Dear HistoNet colleagues,
>
>      I am seeking to replace some staining procedures in my laboratory 
> with NON-microwave methods.  Optimally, I am hoping to find stains that 
> are free of heavy metals or any particularly toxic or dangerous 
> components.  I can not use mercury.
>
>      I need to find staining protocols or kits to demonstrate the following:
>
>Fungal organisms
>Spirochetes, Campylobacter, and Legionella organisms
>
>      In addition, the gram stain procedure I use is very cumbersome and I 
> would be extremely grateful for a simpler method.
>
>      Thank you all very much in advance for your help.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Kimberly Atkin HT (ASCP)
>
>Boston, Massachusetts
>
>  >>
>


**************************************************************************
Jill Songer HT (ASCP)
Virginia Tech
Veterinary Teaching Hospital
Anatomic Pathology Lab Supervisor
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

GO HOKIES!!!!!!