MicrobeWorld

These bacteria induce the assembly of actin-rich tails in the host cell cytoplasm, which enable them to move rapidly. Motile bacteria spread from cell to cell by forming membrane-enclosed protrusions that are engulfed by neighboring cells. (B) Fluorescence micrograph of the bacteria moving in a ... Read More

Gram-stained Staphylococcus aureus. (approx. X 1000). taken from the Wistreich Collection, appearing exclusively on MicrobeWorld. Read More

This scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a number of Leptospira sp. bacteria atop a 0.1. µm polycarbonate filter.

Leptospira interrogans causes leptospirosis, a usually mild febrile illness that may result in liver or kidney failure. Leptospira is a flexible, spiral-shaped, Gram-negati... Read More

Acid-fast rods. (approx X 1000). Taken from the Wistreich Collection, appearing exclusively on MicrobeWorld. Read More

A colorized scanning electron micrograph of Mycobaterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause TB.

Tuberculosis (TB)
Tuberculosis, commonly known as TB, is a contagious and an often severe airborne disease caused by a bacterial infection. TB typically affects the lungs, but it also may aff... Read More

Stained blood smear preparation showing spiral morphology. Taken from the Wistreich Collection, appearing exclusively on MicrobeWorld. Read More

This thin section transmission electron micrograph (TEM) depicts numerous virions revealed in a preparation of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
HIV is the virus that can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. CDC estimates that about 56,000 people in the United States contract... Read More

Magnified 475X, this photomicrograph depicts some of the structural morphology of numerous Trichophyton violaceum fungal organisms. This dermatophyte had been grown in a medium of Sabouraud dextrose agar, and of note are the organism’s mycelia, or branching hyphae, i.e., the vegetative portion o... Read More

Tissue specimen showing spirochete (Treponema pallidum) (970X). Taken from the Wistriech Collection, appearing exclusively on MicrobeWorld. Read More

Honorable Mention for Illustration: NSF 2004 International Science & Engineering Visulization Challenge

X-ray crystallographic data was used from real DNA molecules to paint a unique portrait of the double helix. The image omits the chemical bonds that crisscross the center of the molecule, s... Read More

Gram-positive cocci showing staphylococcus arrangement (970X). Taken from the Wistreich Collection, appearing exclusively on MicrobeWorld. Read More

Illustration First Place Winner NSF International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge

At first glance, it could pass for a piece of crochet, a fluffy gray and orange ball. But its real-world counterpart is far more destructive: It claims an estimated 2 million lives a year and has w... Read More

Type IV pilus filaments on Gram-negative bacterial pathogens control movement, attachment, immune escape, and natural transformation. Pili are attractive targets for vaccines and therapeutics because of the key role they play in bacterial virulence as well as their prominent cell surface exposur... Read More

This transmission electron micrograph (TEM) depicts some of the ultrastructural details displayed by H3N2 influenza virions responsible for casing illness in Indiana and Pennsylvania in 2011.

The cases of human infection with swine-origin H3N2 influenza resulted from existing influenza virus... Read More

Under a relatively low magnification of 121X, this digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an untreated water specimen extracted from a wild stream mainly used to control flooding during inclement weather, revealed the presence of unidentified organisms, which included bacteria... Read More

This is an image of Clostridium difficile colonies grown on cycloserine mannitol agar after 48 hours.

C. difficile, an anaerobic gram-positive rod, is the most frequently identified cause of Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea (AAC). It accounts for approximately 15-25% of all episodes of AAC.

... Read More

Tiny rod-shaped bacteria called Vibrio cholerae cause cholera infections.

Credit: Tina Carvalho, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Related article: "The Quake that Brought Back Cholera" (http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/insidelifescience/cholera.html)
Allison MacLachlan
Posted August 10, 2... Read More

At the Harvard Virology Program Retreat for 2011, the students ran a viral dessert contest. I posted some of the images at VirusTalk. Have a look at them – they are truly delicious. Read More

Bright red-orange photoluminescence observed from porous silicon nanoparticles with human HeLa cells, magnified 1000 times and viewed in the reflection from a silicon wafer. Prepared from high-purity silicon wafers, these nanoparticles provide a nontoxic and biodegradable alternative to conventi... Read More

Gram-positive cocci showing various morphological arrangements including diplococcus and tetrads. (approx. X970). Taken from the Wistreich Collection, appearing exclusively on MicrobeWorld. Read More