Bacteriostasis by Mixture of Dyes

It is possible to mix two dyes of opposite selective bacteriostatic powers and obtain a mixture which combines the powers of the two components. This possibility has been established by experiments with a mixture of gentian violet, which has a predilection for Gram-positive organisms, and acriflavine, which has a predilection for Gram-negatives; a mixture of these two dyes is quite bactericidal for both groups of bacteria. The weakness of each dye, when used alone, is thus, in the mixture, fortified by the strength of the other.