Scanning electron microscopy image of a Cryptococcus neoformans giant cell isolated from the lung of an infected mouse. The image illustrates one of the most characteristic phenotypic features of giant cells, which is the high density of polysaccharide fibers present in the capsule. This structure presents as a highly cross-linked net, which is accumulated as a very compact layer around the cell body (see Zaragoza et al., doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000945).
Image Credit: Oscar Zaragoza, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, United States of America