People say the best things come in small packages, but sometimes the worst things come in really really tiny packages. I am referring of course to the various dangerous viruses and bacteria that have the potential to infect us. Though invisible to the naked eye, they still pack a punch.
Despite their nasty effects on the human body, many viruses look oddly compelling up close. Electron microscopes and color staining reveal interesting shapes and eye-catching colors.
Check out these magnified pictures of viruses and try not to think of the havoc they can wreak.
1
Polio viruses at 90,000x magnification
2
Bacteriophage under electron microscope
3
Dental plaque, the cause of tooth decay
4
Close-up of Marburg virus
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The gold-colored particles are the bird flu virus
6
Virus particles from the Spanish flu of 1918
7
Blue and orange cells infected with orange Ebola virus
8
An influenza virus particle, the cause of the flu
9
Microscopic image of the protozoan Giardia
11
Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), a plant virus that causes mosaic-like patterns on the leaves of infected plants
12
Coronavirus, aka Covid-19 at 60,000x magnification
13
Red SARS virus particles inside a host cell
14
H1N1 influenza virus particles
15
Human papillomavirus, aka HPV.
16
Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, the cause of lyme disease in humans
17
Rod-shaped Anthrax bacteria
20
The plague bacteria, thought to be the cause of the Black Death plague in Europe in the 14th century
21
Streptococcus pneumoniae, which can cause pneumonia in immunocompromised people
22
Smallpox virus at 28,500x magnification
23
Streptococcus pneumoniae, which can cause pneumonia in immunocompromised people
24
Smallpox virus consisting of red DNA surrounded by a yellow protein coating
