False colour transmission electron micrograph of Mycoplasma sp, (red particles) at the surface of an animal cell (yellow). Micoplasmas are the simples

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False colour transmission electron micrograph of Mycoplasma sp, (red particles) at the surface of an animal cell (yellow). Micoplasmas are the simplest living cells known; their DNA codes for 750 proteins considered to be the minimum for independent life. They are the smallest cellular organism known with a diameter of microns. Some species such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae are serious pathogens, causing a pneumonia-like infection in humans. Micoplasmas differ from bacteria in that they lack a true cell wall. Reproduction is by binary fission. The brown line through the image is the boundary of the cell's nucleus. Magnification x6750 at 35mm size.

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Size: 4710px × 3252px
Photo credit: © CNRI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: bacteria, bacterial, bacteriology, bacterium, electron, false-coloured, micro-organisms, microbe, microbes, microbiology, micrograph, mycoplasma, mycoplasmas, sp., tem, transmission