What is "acidophile"

n. 1 an organism that lives and thrives under acidic conditions; a form of extremophile 2 a plant that will thrive in relatively acid soil

n. an organism that thrives in a relatively acid environment [syn: acidophil]

Acidophiles or acidophilic organisms are those that thrive under highly acidic conditions (usually at pH 2.0 or below). These organisms can be found in different branches of the tree of life, including Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryotes.

Acidophile (or acidophil, or, as an adjectival form, acidophilic) is a term used by histologists to describe a particular staining pattern of cells and tissues when using haematoxylin and eosin stains. Specifically, the name refers to structures which "love" acid, and take it up readily.

It describes the microscopic appearance of cells and tissues, as seen through a microscope, after a histological section has been stained with an acidic dye. The most common such dye is eosin, which stains acidophilic substances red and is the source of the related term eosinophilic. Note that a single cell can have both acidophilic substances/organelles and basophilic substances/organelles, albeit some have historically had so much of one stain that the cell itself is called a eosinophil.

Acidophile, acidophilia, or acidophilic may refer to:

• Acidophile (histology)
• Acidophile (organisms)