Bugs gallery
They may look beautiful but once having set up home in our bodies these organisms are harmful or even deadly.
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Spore-forming structures (conidia) of the fungus Aspergillus, which tends to infect people with weakened immune systems. It gets its name from the similarity of conidia to a holy water sprinkler (aspergillum). Credit: David Gregory and Debbie Marshall, Wellcome Images
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Borrelia bacteria, species of which cause Lyme disease and relapsing fever. The bacteria are transmitted by ticks. Lyme disease is on the rise in the USA and parts of Europe. Credit: M I Walker, Wellcome Images
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Influenza A virus. A-type viruses are found in birds and some mammals. Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu is an A-type influenza virus. Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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Influenza B virus: B-type viruses (unlike A-type viruses) mainly infect humans. They have not been responsible for any pandemic outbreaks of influenza. Credit: R Dourmashkin, Wellcome Images
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Influenza virus particles on cells lining the airways. Credit: R Dourmashkin, Wellcome Images
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Escherichia coli, a common and generally harmless gut bacterium. Some strains, such as O157, are highly pathogenic. The O157 strain infects cattle without harming them and good hygiene in the food industry is essential to prevent human infections. Credit: David Gregory and Debbie Marshall, Wellcome Images
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A culture of E. coli bacteria, common and generally harmless gut microbes. Some strains, though, are deadly. Credit: David Gregory and Debbie Marshall, Wellcome Images
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Close up view of Aspergillus spore formation (conidia). Aspergillus infections can be a serious problem for people with weakened immune systems, such as transplant patients. Credit: M I Walker, Wellcome Images
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A view of the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus. An outbreak of SARS in 2002/03 killed more than 750 people. It was successfully contained, thanks particularly to effective quarantine of infected patients. Credit: Wellcome Images
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Salmonella typhi, the cause of typhoid fever. It is a strain of Salmonella enterica (serovar Typhi), which causes stomach upsets. Although now rare in the developed world, it remains a significant health problem in resource-poor countries. Many notable people have lost their lives to typhoid fever, including Pericles (although some experts disagree), Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, both daughters of Louis Pasteur, Wilbur Wright and Annie, beloved daughter of Charles Darwin. Credit: The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
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Hepatitis A virus particles: hepatitis A infections cause relatively mild infections and are generally spread because of poor hygiene practices. Credit: Wellcome Images
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HIV virus particles budding from an infected cell. The virus probably jumped from monkeys to humans in the 1930s. It first came to medical attention in 1981 in the USA. There are now thought to be around 40 million people infected with HIV. Credit: Wellcome Images
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Structure of foot-and-mouth disease virus. An outbreak in the UK 2001 led to the slaughter of some 7 million animals and cost an estimated 8 billion GBP. It only very rarely affects people. Credit: David Stuart/Oxford University, Wellcome Images