Steiner and Steiner staining reveals which of the following in tissue sections?

• A. Heliobacter pylori
• B. Treponema pallidum
• C. Viral inclusions
• D. All of the above

Answer: (D)

Steiner staining uses silver deposition to make certain microorganisms and intracellular structures stand out in tissue sections. This approach is especially good for visualizing slender organisms that are hard to see with routine stains.

It is classically used to reveal spirochetes, such as Treponema pallidum, in tissue sections from syphilis lesions. It’s also a useful alternative method for detecting Helicobacter pylori in gastric mucosa, where the organisms appear as dark, slender elements against a lighter background. In some protocols, silver stains can highlight certain intracellular viral inclusions within infected cells, because of the way silver binds to specific cellular components involved in those inclusions.

Because Steiner staining can reveal these different targets, all of the above is the best answer. In practice, additional tests may be used to confirm a specific organism, but Steiner staining can demonstrate multiple infectious targets in tissue.