Step 1: Fungal cell walls are rich in polysaccharides such as glycogen and mucopolysaccharides. A stain that highlights these sugars will show fungi clearly.
Step 2: Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) reacts with these carbohydrates and stains fungal walls bright magenta. This makes fungal shape, hyphae, and budding easy to see in tissue. So option A is correct.
Step 3: Why the others are wrong. Von Kossa stains calcium deposits, so it is used for calcification, not fungi. Alizarin red also detects calcium. Masson's trichrome stains collagen and connective tissue, used to assess fibrosis, not fungal walls.
Step 4: Note that Grocott methenamine silver (GMS) is another classic fungal stain, but among these four options PAS is the answer.
Answer: PAS.