Gram Slide Stainer
Wescor's Gram staining technology is trusted in labs around the world. No other stainer offers the dependable and accurate results combined with the full cytocentrifuge capability of the Aerospray. The automated features of the Gram Stainer bring quick, excellent, and standardized results to the variable and labor-intensive world of gram staining.
No Cross-Contamination
Gram Slide Stainer - Atomized SprayIn the Aerospray Gram stainer, fresh reagent is applied as an atomized spray on slides mounted in a rotating carousel. Specimens contact only fresh stain, precisely metered from separate spray nozzles. No cross-ontamination occurs and accuracy is assured.
Economical
The Aerospray Gram Stainer is a skinflint when it comes to reagent consumption.
Every Aerospray is also a fully capable cytocentrifuge with the purchase of the optional Cytopro® rotor.
Programmability for 2, 4, or 6 slides significantly reduces the volume of reagents required for staining partial loads and thereby significantly lowering reagent cost.
Rapid Performance
With cycle times as short as 5 minutes, the Aerospray Gram Stainer can process more than 120 slides per hour. No more waiting for slides to dry-they're already dry and ready to view when the staining cycle ends.
Easy to Use
Aerospray - Slide StainerSimply select from 6 different decolorizer settings and start the stain cycle. That's all you have to do because the Aerospray Gram Stainer takes over from there, precisely controlling all phases of the stain cycle with consistent reproducibility.
Optional Rotor for Cytocentrifugation
For the cost of the optional Cytopro rotor, the Aerospray Gram Stainer becomes a superb cytocentrifuge with eight-slide capacity and keyboard programmability at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a stand-alone cytocentrifuge.
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Staining process
The Wescor Process for Gram Staining
The Aerospray Gram stainer stains microscope slides smeared with materials containing microorganisms such as culture materials, body fluids, or exudates. Wescor Gram reagents are tailored to give superb results in the Aerospray Gram stainer, i.e., a clean field, in which the gram-positive organisms are blue-to-black and gram-negative organisms are red.
How It Works
Reagents are applied from atomizing spray nozzles onto microscope slides containing the specimens. Staining is rapid and precise. Specimens contact only fresh stain, avoiding specimen cross-contamination or contact with contaminated reagents.
Fixation
Specimens can be heat fixed and stained directly, or the automatic fixation feature on the Areospray Gram stainer can be used to provide a convenient and reproducible specimen fixation.
Primary Stain
Once slides are fixed, they are sprayed with crystal violet, a positively charged (basic) dye that rapidly penetrates microbial cells and stains them dark blue-to-black.
The excess stain is then spun off and washed away with de-ionized water to prevent precipitate formation outside stained cells.
Iodine
Iodine reagent is then sprayed onto the slide. The iodine penetrates the cells and forms a precipitate (mordant) with the crystal violet dye. Excess iodine is spun off and rinsed from the slide with de-ionized water.
Decolorizing
Decolorizer is then applied to remove the crystal violet-iodine complex until only the gram-negative organisms are decolorized. Safranin (contained in the decolorizer) simultaneously counter-stains the gram-negative cells red.
Decolorization is the critical step in proper Gram differentiation and unless properly controlled can lead to errors. The Aerospray Gram stainer provides a choice of decolorizer cycles ranging from 1 to 6, allowing you to compensate for thick specimens, or other possible variables. With the Wescor Aerospray Gram stainer, you can reproducibly differentiate sensitive organisms in normal smears.
With its rapid staining cycle and high throughput capability, the Aerospray Gram Stainer is a convenient, cost effective way to increase Gram Staining capacity.
Aerospray Microbiology Slide Stainer/Cytocentrifuge Specifications Model 7320
|
Slide Carosel Capacity |
12 Slides | |
| Carousel Rotation Speed | Reagent application 20 RPM, Slide drying approximately 950 RPM | |
| Cytocentrifuge Rotor Speed | Programmable, 100 to 2000 RPM | |
| Display | 4 line by 16 character alpha-numeric LCD dot-matrix | |
| Touch Pad Controls | 6 Decolorizer selections, 10 Numeric Programming Keys, Run, Stop, Clean, Prog, CytoCent, Volume Test | |
| Slides per 500 mL stain pack at | Maximum 1200 (12 slides/run) | |
| medium setting | Minimum 600 (2 slides/run) | |
| Operating Time | 294 - 475 seconds, depending upon decolorizer setting | |
| Dimensions | (W x H x D) 56 cm x 24 cm x 53 cm (22" x 9.5" x 21") | |
| Clearance Height (lid open) | 58 cm (23") | |
| Weight | 17.6 kg (39 lb) | |
| Electrical Requirements | 100V, 120V, 220V, or 240V @ 50-60 Hz (user selectable), 75 watts | |
| Drain Connection | Nipple on rear panel | |
| Safety lid interlock: | Lid must be closed, and is locked down during operation |
The model 7320 is UL listed for operation at 120 Volts
Cytopro Cytocentrifuge Rotor Cat. No. AC - 060
Capacity 8 chambers / slides
Weight 1.3 kg (2.75 lb)
Dimensions (Dia. x H) 23 cm x 4.8 cm (9.0" x 1.875")
Buyer's Specifications
The gram stainer shall be a Wescor Model 7320 Aerospray Microbiology Gram Slide Stainer/Cytocentrifuge or equivalent and shall apply stain using atomizing spray nozzles. The gram stainer shall use fresh reagent for each stain application to avoid any cross contamination. The gram stainer shall also be capable of cytocentrifugation with an 8 place sealed rotor. The stainer shall fix, stain and dry up to 12 slides in less than 6 minutes. The stainer shall have 6 decolorizer settings to adjust decolorization for thin or thick smears. The stainer shall consume no more than 75 watts of electrical power and shall weigh less than 19 kg.
The Cytopro Rotor allows you to turn your Aerospray® Stainer into a full-featured cytocentrifuge system.The Cytopro Rotor allows you to turn your Aerospray® Stainer into a full-featured cytocentrifuge system. The Cytopro is truly simple to load and unload chambers and it is autoclavable for complete sterilization. You can also use this advanced rotor in most Shandon Cytospin systems with purchase of the Cytopro Rotor Adapter (AC-080).
Only Wescor's Cytopro rotor has these patented features:
- Compressed flow control ring in the Cytopad® yields the highest cell recovery in the industry.
- Automatic pad alignment. Parts snap together easily and correctly every time.
- Convenient pre-wetting port for increased and more consistent cell yields.
- Superior clamping mechanism for consistently reliable performance.
- Sample protection cutout for trouble free chamber removal.
- Smooth and positive push-lever chamber retraction.
Wescor's Cytopro rotorOnly Wescor's Cytopro sets the standard for convenience and ease of use:
- Fast and easy loading and unloading.
- Compact, lightweight rotor for ease of handling, storing and transporting.
- Shallow rotor profile for easy access.
- Slide label visible during sample loading.
- Generous 7 mm sample display area (36% larger than the 6 mm Shandon Cytospin™ single).
- Internal clamping-no loose parts.
- Disposable/reusable chambers.
- Choice of fast or slow absorbent pads.
- Choice of single or double chambers each giving the same excellent results.
- Using the Wescor Hub Adapter (AC-080), the Wescor Cytopro rotor can be used on the Thermo
- Shandon Cytospin® 2, 3 or 4.
Wescor also offers the Cytopro rotor in the following options:
- Stand-alone cytocentrifuge (Model 7620)
- Alcohol-based hematology stainer (Model 7150)
- Aqueous-based hematology stainer (Model 7120)
- Microbiology Gram stainer (Model 7320)
- Microbiology Acid Fast Bacteria (AFB) stainer (Model 7720)
- With the Cytopro adapter (AC-080) to run on the Shandon Cytospin