Figure 10. Serum granulations and NB specimens show similar electron diffraction patterns.

Serum granulations (pellets) obtained from untreated serum (A and E) or following addition of either CaCl₂ (B and F), Na₂HPO₄ (C and G), or a combination of both (D and H) to the indicated serum, were processed for TEM without fixation or staining. NB cultured from 10% HS (I) as well as the NB strains “nanons” (J) and DSM 5820 (K) cultured in 10% FBS were also included for comparison. The electron diffraction patterns shown in the insets indicated that the serum granulations and the NB samples consisted of polycrystalline minerals either with a low degree of crystallinity as shown by the fuzzy rings (A, B, E–G) or with a more crystalline mineral phase as shown by the presence of arrays of dots on the corresponding diffraction patterns (C, D, H). In comparison, the commercial reagents CaCO₃ (L), Ca₃(PO₄)₂ (M), and HAP (N), used as controls, more consistently displayed a high degree of crystallinity as shown by the presence of dots on their electron diffraction patterns. Scale bars: 50 nm (A, L); 100 nm (B–E, G, I, J); 200 nm (F, H, K, N); 500 nm (M).