Salmonella Typhimurium infection of a human epithelial cell

Pathogenic E. coli on the intestinal lining

TEM gut cell undergoing secondary necrosis

Horse intestine with multiple attached parasitic worms

Aedes aegypti mosquito crop

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T. muris is a useful model organism for studying host parasite relationships and associated immune responses as it is closely related to the human parasite T. trichuria, known as the human whipworm, which is thought to infect a quarter of the World's population. Infection is usually asymptomatic, but can cause vitamin A deficiency in children, resulting in stunted growth and developmental delay in children.


Adult worms are approximately 1 centimeter long

Trichuris muris is a parasitic nematode affecting mice. Following ingestion, T. muris eggs hatch in the large intestine where they develop into adults. The anterior end of the worm burrows into the lining of the gut, leaving the posterior end protruding into the lumen of the gut. The worms mate in this orientation, and the resulting eggs are released in to the gut lumen and shed faecally. 

Threadworms (coloured green), also known as pinworms, are tiny parasitic worms that hatch eggs and infect the large intestine of humans. Two villi (finger-like projections) in the gut are shown here (coloured brown). Threadworms are the most common type of worm infection in the UK, and are particularly common in young children, infecting up to half of all children under the age of 10. Eggs that are swallowed hatch in the small intestine and then make their way to the large intestine. They are spread from person-to-person as a result of poor hygiene. If one member of a household is infected, there is a high risk that other members will also be infected. Horizontal field width is 100 micrometres.

Threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis) in the villi of the gut

Transmission electron micrograph of gut cell undergoing necrosis. The cell lacks the capped chromatin and apoptotic bodies seen in apoptosis.

TWM of gut cell undergoing necrosis

A crop (also known as croup, craw or ingluvies) is a part of the gut used for the storage of food prior to digestion. This anatomical structure has been noted in a number of organisms including birds, gastropods (snails and slugs), earthworms, leeches, and a variety of insects. 


This image shows the crop from an Aedes aegypti mosquito stained for three proteins. In red is the protein Dicer-2, part of a regulatory pathway which silences gene expression. Actin, a component of the structural cytoskeleton is shown in green, and cells' nuclei (or 'brain') are stained in blue.

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Gut

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Threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis) in the villi of the gut

TWM of gut cell undergoing necrosis

Aedes aegypti mosquito crop

Threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis) in the villi of the gut

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Wellcome uses cookies.

Gut

Images

Works

Threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis) in the villi of the gut

TWM of gut cell undergoing necrosis

Aedes aegypti mosquito crop

Threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis) in the villi of the gut

Wellcome Collection

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