MicrobeWorld

Photograph of a poster issued by the Chinese government in the late 1970s depicting the spread of schistosomes to humans from snails as a consequence of agricultural practices. These posters have been in the office of Dickson Despommier since the 1970s. Read More

Subglacial outflow from the Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Iron and salt precipitates form where subglacial brine flows from the Taylor Glacier, lending a bright red color to the glacier snout, which is commonly referred to as Blood Falls. The episodic release of subglaci... Read More

Under a low magnification of 23X, this scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted a dorsal view of an unidentified male Dermacentor sp. tick found upon a cat in the suburbs of Decatur, Georgia, which measured approximately 3.5mm from its gnathosoma (i.e., capitulum), which is where its mouthpa... Read More

The tiny water bacterium Caulobacter crescentus secretes a sugary substance so sticky that just a tiny bit could hold several cars together. First, it attaches to a surface at the end of its cell body, which has a propeller-like flagellum. On contact, the flagellum stops moving with help from ne... Read More

This illustration depicts an Anopheles sp. mosquito transmitting sporozoites while obtaining a blood meal.

During a blood meal, a malaria-infected female Anopheles sp. mosquito inoculates its human host with sporozoites, which then infect human liver cells, where they mature into schizonts, w... Read More

Irregular, umbonate, opaque Bacillus subtilis colonies on the surface of a nutrient agar plate. Taken from the Wistreich Collection, appearing exclusively on MicrobeWorld. Read More

Cytomegalovirus in human foreskin cell culture. Showing dark staining intranuclear inclusion bodies. Gimesa stain Read More

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Tissue form grown in vitro at 37C Read More

Clostridium sporogenes on egg yolk agar Read More

Microscopic view of gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes (rods) (approx. original X 1,000). Taken from the Wistreich Collection, appearing exclusively on MicrobeWorld. Read More

Corynebacterium diphtheriae on tellurite Read More

Specific F.A. staining of pleomorphic organisms in sputum of patient with tuberculosis 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

The mosquito - God's cruelest instrument to ensure his creations stay in check?
The mosquito - proof that Evolution is a malevolent mistress that sups on human & animal misery alike?
The mosquito - spreader of VEE: Venezuelan equine encephalitis, which afflicts not only horses, donkeys, zebras... Read More

Cryptococcus neoformans abscess. H & E stain (1000X) Read More

Cryptococcus neoformans in solitary nodule. Gridley stain (400X) Read More

Artist Laura Splan has created lace doilies, aka ornamental mats, of the herpes and SARS viruses.

Excerpt from Artists's Bio: My work explores perceptions of beauty and horror, comfort and discomfort. I use anatomical and medical imagery as a point of departure to explore these dualities an... Read More

Sarcocystis spp. zoites Read More

Electron micrograph of a longitudinal section through budding yeast cells Read More

Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Elek plates showing lines of identity. Paper strip is saturated with antitoxin organisms (black growth) producing toxin Read More