Figure 7.

Confocal scanning-laser micrographs of tissue recovered from the vaginal epithelium of volunteers and stained with fluorescein. (a) The orange nuclei and green cytoplasm of the human cells are clearly seen, as are the bacterial cells in a biofilm aggregate partly detached from human cell surfaces. (b) The green rod-shaped cells of the vaginal biofilms are seen, with the lighter green matrix material that surrounds them, in aggregates at least 30 μm “tall.” The extent and thickness of the vaginal biofilm are indicated by the fact that the orange tissue nuclei appear to be “buried” by this beneficial microbial population.