Images Dated 15th January 2003

Rheumatoid arthritis of the knee

Rheumatoid arthritis of the knee joint, artwork. This is a condition in which the body's immune system attacks the tissues of the joints. The plates of cartilage (menisci, purple) on the knee joint are partly worn away. The menisci allow the bones of the knee to slide over one another smoothly. Erosion of the menisci causes severe joint pain and immobility. The bones of the knee are the femur (thigh bone, upper right), the tibia (shin bone, lower left) and the patella (kneecap, on tibia at far left, peeled back here to reveal the inner structures). Below the tibia is the smaller fibula. In the background is a conceptual image of an antirheumatic drug molecule

© JOHN BAVOSI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Colouree TEM of haemophilus influenzae

Coloured transmission electron micrograph of a dividing bacterium Haemophilus influenzae, showing its DNA (blue) at the centre of the cell. A non- motile Gram-negative bacillus, H. influenzae is an important pathogen in children aged 1-5 years. It colonises the upper respiratory tract in most humans within the first months of life, and is usually harmless. It may, however, spread locally and cause diseases of the lower respiratory tract such as bronchitis and pneumonia and of the ear, otitis media. Certain capsulated strains are the most common cause of bacterial meningitis and epiglottitis in children. Magnification; x60, 000 at 6x4.5cm size

© DR KARI LOUNATMAA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY