I have no experience with methylene blue staining.
However, would phloxin B help? pombe folk use phloxin B (aka magdala
red) to stain cells on plates; it's a vital stain and the sicker
the cells, the more slowly they get rid of it. Therefore dead cells
are a deep red, healthy cells are pale pink, and those in between are
in between. cerevisiae people dont usually use it and I dont
know if it works for Sc. Phloxin B can be added to min or rich agar
(after it has cooled to 55*C). We keep a 10mg/ml (2000x) stock in
water, filter sterilized and foil wrapped.
susan
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
S L Forsburg
susan_forsburg at qm.salk.eduhttp://flosun.salk.edu/~forsburg
"I don't speak for the Institute,
and the Institute doesnt speak for me."