Staining Nematodes

[lperepol1]

I would like to see a few morphological characters in nematodes. I see nematode nerve rings depicted in drawings. But cannot see them under high magnifications. Which stains can I try to highlight invisible characters in nematodes?

[GerryR]

There is a book that can be bought very inexpensively through Abe Books called Diagnostic Parasitology for Veterinary Technicians by Charles Hendrix and Ed Robinson that covers just about everything you might want to know on that subject as well as a multitude of other things. Of course, as the title implies, it is geared toward Vet Techs. For about $8.00 shipped, used, it's worth having on the shelf. Just a thought.

[lperepol1]

Thank you Gerry!!

[BramHuntingNematodes]

I use phase. The old timers used picric acid to impart a yellow shade, but you probably don't want to do that.

I bet DIC works good.

[Tom Jones]

Here's a paper on University of Calif Riverside's Entomology department's use of DIC and video to create "virtual voucher specimens" for new species of nematodes:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... df/296.pdf

While it may not show all the features you're looking for, it should show the one's necessary to speciate. It's actually one of the reasons I decided to try high resolution video DIC.

[lperepol1]

Found this paper, "A Method for Staining Nematode Secretions and Structures"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... pdf/70.pdf

[GerryR]

Nice find; the chart at the end is especially nice!