dye exclusion test

dye ex·clu·sion test

a test to determine cell viability in which a dilute solution of certain dyes (for example, trypan blue, eosin Y, nigrosin, Alcian blue) is mixed with a suspension of live cells; cells that exclude dye are considered to be alive whereas cells that stain are considered dead; it is not always an accurate test because it indicates only the structural integrity of the cell membrane.