Which granules can be stained with azure B and eosin?

The standardized stain composed of pure azure B and eosin, as published by Wittekind and colleagues in 1986, demonstrated granules in neutrophilic leucocytes that were much coarser than those seen after staining with conventional Romanowsky-Giemsa methods. These granules belong to at least two classes. Their identification cannot be achieved by means of the morphologic characteristics of single granules; a multivariate analysis of the granulation as a whole, and a comparison with specifically stained primary granules is required. In particular, this study on unbiased cell samples showed that with Wittekind's method, the primary granules in peripheral neutrophils are stained. Further study of clinical smears revealed an enhanced dye uptake by the secondary granules. The staining behavior of the granules is related to the leukocyte count.