Hidden world of microscopic life revealed in extraordinary pictures - Part 2
Published 10 Feb 2019, 09:50 GMT
Tapeworms are parasites that live in the intestines of humans and animals, including many fish. They do not have a digestive tract, so instead they absorb nutrients from their host's digested food.
Photograph by Jannicke Wiik-NielsenA detail of a tapeworm head reveals grooves known as bothria, which the tapeworm uses to attach itself to a host's intestinal wall.
Photograph by Jannicke Wiik-NielsenThe outer part of a tapeworm's body is called the tegument; through it the parasite absorbs nutrients from its host. This photo reveals the tiny, bristle-like microvilli that cover the tegument and help maximize its surface area.
Photograph by Jannicke Wiik-NielsenThis detail of a roundworm head shows the parasite's mouth and three lips.
Photograph by Jannicke Wiik-NielsenA female roundworm coils around a male whose two needle-like mating structures, called spicules, protruding from its posterior end. A type of parasitic nematode, roundworms infect fish as well as birds and seals. Identifying them, Wiik-Nielsen says, "is important in terms of seafood safety and public health, as humans may be infected."
Photograph by Jannicke Wiik-Nielsen