ID#: 11651
Caption:
This digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image revealed the ventral surface of a Giardia muris trophozoite that had settled atop the mucosal surface of a rat’s intestine. Note the microvilli, which can be seen in the background, as tiny rounded structures that are approximately 0.15µm in diameter. The Giardia's ventral adhesive disk resembles a suction cup, where overlapping microtubules in the cytoplasm form a number-6-shaped figure. The edge of the suction cup, called the ventrolateral flange, partially encircles the adhesive disk and is absent posteriorly where a ventral pair of flagella emerges from above, dorsal to the disk. Giardia muris has four pairs of flagella that are responsible for the organism’s motility. The adhesive disk facilitates adherence to the intestinal surface.
High Resolution: Click here for hi-resolution image (3.05 MB)
Content Provider(s): CDC/ Dr. Stan Erlandsen
Creation Date: 1999
Photo Credit: Dr. Stan Erlandsen
Links:
Categories:
CDC Organization
Skip Navigation Links.

MeSH
Skip Navigation Links.
Copyright Restrictions: None - This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions.