| Characteristics | Acid Fast bacteria | Non Acid Fast Bacteria |
| Resistance to decolonization | Acid Fast bacteria resist the decolorizing by acid after staining. | Non Acid Fast Bacteria readily resist the decolorizing by acid after staining. |
| Acid Staining color | Acid Fast bacteria appear in pink or red color. | Non Acid Fast bacteria appear in blue color. |
| Stain | It retains the color of primary stain, carbol fuchsin. | It retains the color of counterstain, methylene blue. |
| Presence of Mycolic acid | Mycolic acid is present in cell wall. | Mycolic acid is absent in cell wall. |
| Example | Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae,Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex, and Nocardia species. | Escherichia coli is an example of acid fast bacteria. |
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