Depending on which epoxy resin you are using and which stain you want to
use to see the fungi you might be able to 1. dissolve the resin out. 2. etch
the resin so the stain could penetrate. 3. modify the stain to penetrate the
resin. General speaking, Araldite is probably the easiest to etch or stain
through. Also, how the material was fixed (glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde or
??) is important. Was the material treated with osmium? If so, perhaps you
could go to the electron microscope for the answer.  I think you need the
specialized knowledge of a mycologist.


Kathrin Priess wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> I wonder if anyone could help with information on how to stain fungi
> that are embedded in epoxy resin. Let me precise, my request belongs to
> the field of environmental science not to the one of medical science. Of
> course in literature a lot of staining techniques are described aiming
> at staining polysaccharide in medical histology this might be the right
> way. But if fungi are appearing together with algae that definitely
> contain polysaccharides this will not work. I want to distinguish fungi
> from algae, I thought of staining chitin. Could anybody help me with
> further information?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Kathrin
> --
> Dr. Kathrin Priess
> Project coordinator "Low-dose standards"
> Europäische Akademie GmbH
> Wilhelmstr. 56
> D-53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
>
> Tel: ++49 (0) 2641 973 309
> Fax: ++49 (0) 2641 973 320

Geoff
--
**********************************************
Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D.
Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029
mcauliff@umdnj.edu
**********************************************