The Gomori method is categorized as which type of staining technique?

• A. Special stains
• B. Routine stains
• C. Immunohistochemical stains
• D. Fluorescent stains

Answer: (A)

Special stains are designed to reveal specific tissue components that ordinary stains don’t show well. The Gomori method uses a targeted chemical reaction, such as silver impregnation in variants like Gomori methenamine silver, to selectively deposit color on particular structures (for example, fungi or basement membranes/reticulin fibers). This focused highlighting of a specific component is what defines it as a special stain. It’s not immunohistochemical, which uses antibodies, and not fluorescent, which relies on fluorescent labels.