ELISA test for HIV - A woman in a lab coat holding a knife
Depicted in this 2007 was CDC microbiologist Susan Phillips, using an Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) test, in order to develop a method for the rapid detection of HIV p24 antigen in blood samples. Bi... More
Influenza virus particle color
This (Pseudocolored) negative-stained (false-colored) transmission electron micrograph (TEM) depicts the ultrastructural details of an influenza virus particle, or “virion”. A member of the taxonomic family Ort... More
Rubella virus 10221 lores
This negatively-stained transmission electron micrograph (TEM) revealed the presence of Rubella virus virions, as they were in the process of budding from the host cell surface to be freed into the host’s syste... More
10523 Aspergillus fumigatus
PHIL ID#: 10523 Description: This photomicrograph revealed the presence of Aspergillus fumigatus fungal organisms in a brain tissue, methenamine silver-stained specimen harvested from a turkey poult that had c... More
Legionella pneumophila (SEM)
colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) with moderately-high magnification of 8000X depicting a large grouping of Gram-negative Legionella pneumophila bacteria Русский: Цветная электросканограмма (х8000). ... More
Dogswrabies
Two dogs with dumb, or paralytic, rabies.
Sarcoptic mange in a dog PHIL23300
The lying canine depicted in this August 1951 photograph, was suffering from a case of sarcoptic mange, caused by the cutaneous parasite, Sarcoptes scabei, otherwise referred to as scabies. Note its resulting h... More
Candida albicans PHIL 3192 lores
ID#: 3192 Description: This is an image of a SABHI agar plate culture of the fungus Candida albicans grown at 20°C. Candida albicans lives in or on numerous parts of the body as normal flora. However, when an i... More
Plasmodium lifecycle PHIL 3405 lores
This is an illustration of the life cycle of the parasites of the genus Plasmodium that are causal agents of Malaria. For a complete description of the life cycle of parasites which cause Malaria, select the li... More
Wash your hands poster CDC - Wellbee
This 1964 poster featured CDC’s national symbol of public health "Wellbee" who was reminding the public to "be well, be clean and WASH YOUR HANDS ". CDC used the Wellbee in its comprehensive marketing campaign ... More
1985 -Tour Eiffel Paris
Eiffel Tower from across Seine River, Paris, France. Français : Photographie de la Tour Eiffel
Yellow Fever Virus - A black and white photo of bubbles in the water
العربية: فيروس الحمّى الصفراء. Deutsch: Gelbfieber-Virus. Gelbfiebervirus im Transmissionselektronenmikroskop. Esperanto: Viruso de flava febro. Español: Fiebre amarilla (Flaviviridae). Suomi: Keltakuumevirus. ... More
Aedes aegypti CDC08 - A close up of a mosquito on a person's arm
Aedes aegypti female
Clostridium difficile 01
Scanning electron micrograph of en:Clostridioides difficile bacteria from a stool sample. Obtained from the CDC Public Health Image Library. Image credit: CDC/ Lois S. Wiggs (PHIL #6260), 2004.
Actinobacillus lignieresi
Actinobacillus lignieresi. Gram stain. Public domain photograph of micro organism, microscopy, biology, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Herpesviridae EM PHIL 2171 lores
Various viruses from the Herpesviridae family seen using an electron micrograph Amongst these members is varicella-zoster (Chickenpox), and herpes simplex type 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2). Norsk bokmål: Ulike herpes... More
SARS Co V 2 PHIL23641
Electron microscopic image of a negatively stained particle of SARS-CoV-2, causative agent of COVID-19. Note the prominent spikes from which the coronavirus gets its name for “corona”, or “crown-like”.
Tuberculosis-x-ray - A black and white photo of a chest with an x - ra...
An anteroposterior X-ray of a patient diagnosed with advanced bilateral pulmonary tuberculosis. This AP X-ray of the chest reveals the presence of bilateral pulmonary infiltrate, and „caving formation“ present ... More
Polio physical therapy - A black and white photo of a woman and childr...
This physical therapist is assisting two polio-stricken children holding on to a rail while they exercise their lower limbs. In the early 1950s there were more than 20,000 cases of polio each year. After the po... More
Streptococcus pneumoniae, Catalonia, Spain
Scanning Electron Micrograph of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcus, Streptococci Deutsch: Mikroben sind in den meisten Fällen die Erreger von Infektionskrankheiten. Hier Streptococcus pneumoniae, einer der ... More
Polio sequelle - A little girl standing on top of a toilet
This child is displaying a deformity of her right lower extremity due to polio caused by the poliovirus, an enterovirus member.After initial oropharyngeal inoculation, and multiplication, the virus enters the b... More
Borrelia burgdorferi-cropped
Using darkfield microscopy technique, this photomicrograph, magnified 400x, reveals the presence of spirochete, or “corkscrew-shaped” bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the pathogen responsible fo... More
Escherichia coli (SEM) - A close up of a cell phone with holes in it
Escherichia coli - Scanning Electron Microscopy, magnification 12800x Public domain photograph of micro organism, microscopy, biology, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
7175 lores - A group of people riding on the back of a motorcycle down...
This 1969 photograph depicted a Dekina, Nigerian family as they were seated in front of their home during a smallpox investigation. During the Nigerian-Biafran war, members of the CDC refugee relief team were a... More
Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus CDC
This 2005 photograph depicted an “eastern cottonmouth” snake, Agkistrodon p. piscivorus, as it was coiled atop a ground cover of pine needles. Startled, this snake had taken on a defensive posture, bearing its ... More
Clean Hands Guardians Of Health - A sign that says clean hands
This historic sign was created by the Minnesota Department of Health in the 1930s admonishing food service workers to wash their hands frequently. It was part of a campaign to reduce food-borne illnesses. This ... More
Lassa virus - A black and white photo of a group of cells
A transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of a number of Lassa virus virions adjacent to some cell debris. The virus, a member of the virus family en:Arenaviridae, causes en:Lassa fever.
Aedes aegypti CDC06 - A close up of a mosquito on a person's arm
Aedes aegypti female
Clostridium difficile EM
Obtained after an outbreak this micrograph depicts Gram-positive Clostridium difficile bacteria. These C. difficile organisms were cultured from a stool sample obtained during an outbreak of gastrointestinal il... More
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 10048
This 2005 scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted numerous clumps of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, commonly referred to by the acronym, MRSA; Magnified 2381x. Recently recognized out... More
Dr Charles C Shepard - A black and white photo of a man sitting at a d...
This photograph depicts microbiologist, and former director of Centers for Disease Control’s Laboratory Division, Dr. Charles C. Shepard. It was through the diligent efforts of doctors Sheppard, and cohort micr... More
Bordetella bronchiseptica 02
Digitally colorized Leifson flagella stained sample of en:Bordetella bronchiseptica. Obtained from the CDC Public Health Image Library. Image credit: CDC/Dr. William A. Clark (PHIL #1037), 1976.
CDC-11215-swine-flu - A close up of a green substance on a purple surf...
This colorized negative stained transmission electron micrograph (TEM) depicted some of the ultrastructural morphology of the A/CA/4/09 swine flu virus. See PHIL 11213 for a black and white version of this image.
CDC 11739 Cimex lectularius SEM
ID#: 11739 Description: This digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) revealed some of the ultrastructural morphology displayed on the ventral surface of a bedbug, Cimex lectularius. From this vi... More
Alcaligenes faecalis PHIL-stained
Alcaligenes faecalis. Flagella stain.
Corynebacterium haemolyticum (BAP)
C. haemolyticum on Blood Agar plate
Ochlerotatus canadensis CDC15992
This image depicts the mosquito Ochlerotatus canadensis, formerly Aedes canadensis, commonly known as the woodland pool mosquito, which had alighted upon a human host’s arm, and was in the process of obtaining ... More
NIOSH Salt Lake City Office 1974
This historic photograph was captured in 1974, shows the former National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) facility that was located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Bacillus anthracis PHIL 1792
This is an illustration of a photomicrograph, which revealed the presence of darkly-stained, rod-shaped, Bacillus anthracis bacteria, that had been cultivated in an agar culture. The sample had been processed u... More
Colorized transmission electron micrograph of Avian influenza A H5N1 v...
Colorized transmission electron micrograph of Avian influenza A H5N1 viruses (seen in gold) grown in MDCK cells (seen in green). Avian influenza A viruses do not usually infect humans; however, several instance... More
CDC-Gathany-Aedes-albopictus-2
Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, showing the typical white stripe on its back.
Paenibacillus polymyxa PHIL19240
This photomicrograph of a Gram-stained specimen, revealed numerous Gram-positive, rod-shaped, Paenibacillus polymyxa bacteria, also known as, Bacillus polymyxa. An endospore forming organism, you are able to se... More
Entercoccus sp2 lores - A black and white photo of a bunch of small wh...
This scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted numbers of bacteria, which were identified as being Gram-positive Enterococcus sp. bacteria. Previously identified as "Group D" Streptococcus organisms, the most... More
Vaccinia virus PHIL 2143 lores
An electron micrograph of a Vaccinia virus. Vaccinia virus is normally confined to cattle, but is conveyed to humans through vaccination, thereby, imparting immunity to the smallpox virus.
Smallpox virus - A black and white photo of a cluster of flowers
A transmission electron micrograph of smallpox viruses. Smallpox is a serious, highly contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease. There is no specific treatment for smallpox disease, and the only preven... More
SARS Co V 2 PHIL23591 - Drawing. Public domain image.
Thin section electron microscopic image of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Spherical virus particles contain black dots, which are cross-sections through the viral nucleocapsid. In the cytoplasm of... More
Staphylococcus epidermidis 01
Scanning Electron Micrograph of Staphylococcus epidermidis
Dog with rabies - A black and white photo of a dog with a cigarette in...
Close-up of a dog's face during late-stage "dumb" paralytic rabies. Animals with "dumb" rabies appear depressed, lethargic, and uncoordinated. Gradually they become completely paralyzed. When their throat and j... More
Dermatophilus - A close up of a small amount of purple flowers
Public Health Image Library, No 2986 [1] Public domain photograph of micro organism, microscopy, biology, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Free-living amebic infections
This is an illustration of the life cycle of the parasitic agents responsible for causing “free-living” amebic infections. For a complete description of the life cycle of these parasites, select the link below ... More
Cryptococcus neoformans using a light India ink staining preparation P...
This photomicrograph depicts Cryptococcus neoformans using a light India ink staining preparation. Life-threatening infections caused by the encapsulated fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans have been increa... More
The Plague, by Gaetano Zumbo, Italy
"This is a detailed view of The Plague, a wax relief sculpture by the 17th Italian artist Gaetano Zumbo, (1656 – 1701). Gaetano Zumbo sculpted his human figures in wax, as he’d done here in this detailed view o... More
Campylobacter fetus 01 - A close up of a bunch of small white objects
This scanning electron micrograph depicts a grouping of Gram-negative Campylobacter fetus bacteria, magnified 4,976x. The “S-shaped” C. fetus bacterium, also known as C. fetus ssp. intestinalis or Vibrio fetus ... More
Booster Wellbee Space 7220 - Drawing. Public domain image.
This 1964 poster featured what at that time, was CDC’s national symbol of public health, the “Wellbee”, who here was reminding the public to get a booster vaccination. CDC used the Wellbee in its comprehensive ... More
Aedes aegypti CDC8936 - A close up of a mosquito on a person's arm
This 2006 photograph depicted a female Aedes aegypti mosquito as she was in the process inserting her fascicle through the skin surface of her host. She then proceeded to obtain a "blood meal", which normally w... More
Vaccination of girl - A woman in a white lab coat and a woman in a blu...
This 2006 image depicted an adolescent female in the process of receiving an intramuscular immunization in her left shoulder muscle, from a qualified nurse. The girl was assisting in the procedure by holding up... More
Clostridium septicum 01
This illustration depicts a photomicrographic view of a methylene blue-stained culture specimen revealing the presence of numerous Clostridium septicum bacteria.Deutsch: Dieses Bild stellt das Mikroskopfoto ein... More
Pneumococcus CDC PHIL ID1003
Streptococcus pneumoniae in spinal fluid. FA stain (digitally colorized). Streptococci Polski: Obraz w mikroskopie fluorescencyjnym, widać obraz dwoinek. Română: Pneumococi prezenţi în lichidul cerebrospinal, î... More
Bacillus coagulans 01 - A close up of a piece of food on a table
Bacillus coagulans. Gram stain. Public domain photograph of stained glass window, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Rothia dentocariosa PHIL15195
Normally found as an inhabitant of the human mouth and respiratory tract, this photomicrograph of a Gram-stained specimen, revealed numerous Gram-positive, Rothia dentocariosa bacteria, formerly known as Stomat... More
CDC scientist transfers H7N9
A CDC scientist uses a pipette to transfer H7N9 virus into vials for sharing with partner laboratories for public health research purposes.
Starved child - A black and white photo of a man holding a child
Child suffering with Marasmus in India.jpg
Ebola virus em - Drawing. Public domain image.
Transmission Electron Micrograph of the Ebola Virus. Hemorrhagic Fever, RNA Virus. Français : Virus Ebola. Italiano: Fotografia al microscopio elettronico della trasmissione del virus Ebola. Русский: Изображени... More
Smallpox virus virions TEM PHIL 1849
This transmission electron micrograph (TEM) depicts a number of smallpox virus virions; Mag - approximately 370,000x. The “dumbbell-shaped” structure inside the smallpox virion is the viral core, which contains... More
Public Domain Images - BrucellaMelitensis
ID#: 1902 Brucella melitensis colonies. Brucella spp. Colony Characteristics: A. Fastidious, usually not visible at 24h. B. Grows slowly on most standard laboratory media (e.g. sheep blood, chocolate and trypti... More
Acral gangrene due to plague
Right hand of a plague patient displaying acral gangrene. Gangrene is one of the manifestations of plague. Русский: Гангрена пальцев руки. Čeština: Či opětovná nákaza morem. Pokročilá gangréna prstů na pravé ru... More
Smallpox vaccine injection
CDC Clinician demonstrates the use of a bifurcated needle during the 2002 Smallpox Vaccinator Workshop. In December 2002, CDC Clinicians trained state licensed vaccine administers how to deliver smallpox vaccin... More
Echinococcus vogeli3 - A close up of a piece of skin
This is a photomicrograph of a tissue sample harvested from a cyst, which was harbored inside a gorilla. On the right, the cystic tissue revealed the presence of necrotic debris, and interspersed protoscolices ... More
Streptococcus viridans PHIL 2897 lores
This is a photomicrograph of Streptococcus viridans bacteria that had been grown in a blood culture. The bacterium Streptococcus viridans, is responsible for approximately half of all cases of bacterial endocar... More
Streptomyces sp. PHIL 2983 lores
This is a slide culture of a Streptomyces sp. grown on tap water agar. Branching filaments, abundant aerial mycelia, and long chains of small spores are visible, which is characteristic of all Streptomyces spp..
Tine test - A close up of a white light bulb on a blue surface
A four prong instrument used to administer the Tuberculin Tine Test. In this test, the tuberculosis antigen is introduced just under the skin with this multi-pronged instrument. The antigen is located on the ti... More
Chest X-ray acute pulmonary histoplasmosis PHIL 3954
This chest film shows diffuse pulmonary infiltration due to acute pulmonary histoplasmosis caused by H. capsulatum.
Amblyomma americanum tick
This image depicts a dorsal view of a female lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, and is found in the Southeastern, and Mid-Atlantic United States. Females exhibit the star-like spot on their distal scutum. Th... More
TB Culture - A close up of some food on a plate
This is a close-up of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture revealing this organism’s colonial morphology. Note the colorless rough surface, which are typical morphologic characteristics seen in Mycobacterium tu... More
Diphtheria bull neck.5325 lores
This child with diphtheria presented with a characteristic swollen neck, sometimes referred to as “bull neck”. Diphtheria is an acute bacterial disease involving primarily the tonsils, pharynx, larynx, nose, sk... More
Neisseria meningitidis - A close up of a person flying a kite in the s...
This micrograph depicts the presence of aerobic Gram-negative Neisseria meningitidis diplococcal bacteria; Mag. 1150X. Meningococcal disease is an infection caused by a bacterium called N. meningitidis or the m... More
Staphylococcus aureus 01
This SEM shows a strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria taken from a vancomycin intermediate resistant culture (VISA). Under SEM, one can not tell the difference between bacteria that are susceptible or multi... More
Shigella Boydii - A close up of bubbles in a glass of water
Čeština: Shigella Boydii na krevním agaru English: This photograph depicts the colonial morphology displayed by Gram-negative Shigella boydii bacteria on a blood agar plate (BAP). Four species from the genus Sh... More
Proteus-mirabilis - A bunch of white balls floating in a pool of water
This photograph depicts the colonies of Gram-negative, Proteus mirabilis bacteria, grown on a xylose-lysine-deoxycholate (XLD) agar plate. Xylose Lyseine (XL) agar is used when trying to culture and isolate Gra... More
Centrilobular emphysema 865 lores
Gross pathology of lung showing centrilobular emphysema characteristic of smoking. Closeup of fixed, cut surface shows multiple cavities lined by heavy black carbon deposits. Français : Pathologie de poumon mon... More
Body lice - Drawing. Public domain image.
This 2006 photograph depicted a dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. Some of the external morphologic features displayed by members of the genus Pediculus include an elongated abdo... More
Aedes aegypti CDC03 - A close up of a mosquito on a person's arm
Aedes aegypti female
Escherichia coli flagella TEM
Escherichia coli O157:H7, cell with flagella, transmission electron microscopy, pseudoreplica technique Deutsch: Escherichia coli O157:H7, Zelle mit Flagellen, Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie, Pseudoreplika-Technik
Jaundice eye new - A close up of a person with yellow eyes
العربية: شخص مصاب باليرقان. Български: Иктерични склери. বাংলা: জন্ডিস রুগীর হলুদ চোখ. Čeština: Žluté zabarvení očního bělma (ikerus) - jeden z příznaků žloutenky. Žloutenka jako příznak hepatitidy A. Deutsch: ... More
HIV-budding-Color - A close up of a cell with green dots on it
Scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1 budding (in green) from cultured lymphocyte. This image has been colored to highlight important features; see PHIL 1197 for original black and white view of this image. Mul... More
CDC microbiologist demonstrating how to candle an embryonated chicken ...
This 2008 photograph depicted a CDC microbiologist, as she was demonstrating how one properly “candles” an embyonated chicken egg, which employs a very bright light that is either placed behind the egg, such as... More
Staphylococcus aureus VISA 2
Under a very high magnification of 20,000x, this scanning electron micrograph (SEM) shows a strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria taken from a vancomycin intermediate resistant culture (VISA). Under SEM, one... More
Ancylostoma braziliense mouth parts CDC PHIL ID1375
Ancylostoma braziliense mouth parts. Hookworm, parasite. Public domain photograph of micro organism, microscopy, biology, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Norovirus EM PHIL 2172 lores
An electron micrograph of the Norovirus, with 27-32nm-sized viral particles. Norwalk viruses (and related caliciviruses) are important causes of nonbacterial gastroenteritis in the United States. An estimated 1... More
Poumon artificiel - A woman laying on a bed next to a man in a hospita...
Deutsch: Krankenhauspersonal untersucht einen Patienten in einer eisernen Lunge während der Rhode-Island-Polio-Epidemie. English: Hospital staff are examining a patient in a tank respirator, iron lung, during t... More
Hepatitis A virus 02 - A black and white photo of a bunch of flowers
Cropped image of an electron micrograph of the Hepatitis A virus (HAV).
Conidia phialoconidia of Aspergillus fumigatus PHIL 300 lores
ID#: 300 Description: Conidia: phialoconidia of Aspergillus fumigatus Copyright Restrictions: None - This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions. As a matter of courtesy we r... More
Neisseria gonorrhoeae PHIL 3693 lores
Eesti: Neisseria gonorrhoeae PHIL 3693 lores.jpg.English: This illustration depicts a urethral exudate containing Neisseria gonorrhoeae from a patient with gonococcal urethritis. This illustration depicts a G... More
Aedes Albopictus - A close up of a mosquito on a person's arm
This is an Aedes albopictus female mosquito obtaining a blood meal from a human host. Under experimental conditions the Aedes albopictus mosquito, also known as the Asian tiger mosquito, has been found to be a... More
Hookworms - A close up of a worm on a surface of water
Ancylostoma caninum, a type of hookworm, attached to the intestinal mucosa. Source:CDC's Public Health Image Library Image #5205
Cimex lectularius - A close up of a bed bug on a person's skin
BedbugDeutsch: Bettwanze
Duchenne-muscular-dystrophy
Deutsch: Histopathologisches Bild eines Querschnitts aus dem Wadenmuskel (Muskulus gastrocnemius) eines Patienten, der an Muskeldystrophie Typ Duchenne verstarb. Das Bild verdeutlicht, in welchem Ausmaß die (ro... More
1968 10 Nigeria CDC
This 1968 photograph, taken during the Nigerian-Biafran civil war inside a refugee camp, highlighted a corn soya milk (CSM) mixture that was being cooked into a bread-like food. CSM was a highly prized, protein... More
Cutaneous abscess MRSA staphylococcus aureus 7826 lores
This 2005 photograph (low resolution version) depicted a cutaneous abscess located on the hip of a prison inmate, which had begun to spontaneously drain, releasing its purulent contents. The abscess was caused ... More
EM of influenza virus - A black and white photo of a bunch of pills
This negative stained transmission electron micrograph (TEM) shows recreated 1918 influenza virions that were collected from supernatants of 1918-infected Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells cultures 18 hour... More