Summary
Leishman stain is used in microscopy for staining blood smears. It provides excellent stain quality. It is generally used to differentiate and identify leucocytes, malaria parasites, and Trypanosoma. It is based on a methanolic
mixture of “polychromed” methylene blue. (i.e., demethylated into various azures) and eosin. The methanolic stock solution is stable and also serves the purpose of directly fixing the smear and eliminating a prefixing step.