A paraffin baiting technique that enables a direct microscopic view of "in situ" morphology of Nocardia asteroides with the acid-fast or fluorescence staining procedures.

The paraffin slide culture technique has provided a means of greatly increasing the effectiveness of the paraffin baiting procedure in the identification of Nocardia asteroides. This has been accomplished with paraffin coated slides rather than the conventional paraffin coated rods, which allows for direct microscopic examination of the "in situ" growth because of its flat surface. This microscopic examination is further facilitated by staining with Kinyoun Acid-fast Stain, or combines three important elements necessary for the identification of Nocardia asteroides, namely; "in situ" morphology, acid-fastness and Auramine fluorescence. The conventional paraffin coated rod only shows the ability of Nocardia asteroides to utilize paraffin as a carbon source, and tells nothing about "in situ" morphology, acid-fastness, and fluorescence with Auramine Fluorochrome.