Image of Giardia

Description:

These three scanning electron micrographs (SEM) revealed under successively greater magnifications, some of the ultrastructural morphologic details of a Giardia trophozoite, where it had attached itself to apical microvilli, i.e., numerous small cylindrical structures, some highlighted with white arrowheads in the far left photograph, that covered the mucosal surface of a Caco-2 cultured intestinal epithelial cell. The ventrolateral flange, i.e., ruffle-like structure that surrounds the anterior portion of the protozoan, appeared firmly attached, by way of focal adhesions, to these microvilli.
Created: 2009