Ziehl

Ziehl is a surname of German origin. It appears in historical and contemporary records as a family name and is most prominently associated with science through the Ziehl-Neelsen staining method.

In microbiology, Franz Ziehl and Friedrich Neelsen developed the Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast stain. The method uses carbol fuchsin as a primary stain, often aided by heat to facilitate penetration of the dye into the waxy cell walls of acid-fast bacteria. After decolorization with acid-alcohol, a counterstain (such as methylene blue) is applied. Acid-fast bacteria retain the red color, while non-acid-fast cells are blue.

The Ziehl-Neelsen stain is widely used to detect Mycobacterium species, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and remains foundational in diagnostic microbiology, despite newer fluorescence-based methods.

Beyond its scientific association, Ziehl remains a surname found among German-speaking populations, and appears in various personal and organizational names.