Brushing Up on Brush Borders: Intestinal Spirochetosis Diagnosis and Management

Confusion surrounds the nature of the “adenomatoid tumor” of the testis, as evidenced by the large number of synonyms which have been ascribed to it. Various authors have considered the tumor to be of endothelial, mesothelial or epithelial origin. There appears to be no controversy as to the stromal elements of the tumor, which consists mainly of smooth muscle and fibrous tissue. It is the irregular gland-like spaces which have given rise to the numerous theories as to its histogenesis, and even recent ultrastructural studies fail to agree on the origin of these structures.Electron microscopy of a typical intrascrotal adenomatoid tumor showed the gland-like spaces to be lined by epithelial cells (Fig. 1), rich in cytoplasmic tonofibrils and united to each other by numerous desmosomes (Fig. 2). The most salient feature of these epithelial cells was the presence on their luminal surface of numerous long and repeatedly branching microvillous structures of the type known as stereocilia (Fig. 3). These are extremely long slender cell processes which are as much as three to four times the length of those in brush borders.

Download Full-text

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Human Jejunum in Whipple's Disease

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100079279 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 354-355

Author(s):

John H. L. Watson ◽

C. N. Sun

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽

Basement Membrane ◽

Lamina Propria ◽

Brush Border ◽

Whipple’S Disease ◽

Whipple's Disease ◽

Biopsy Specimens ◽

Brush Borders ◽

Scanning Electron

That the etiology of Whipple's disease could be bacterial was first suggested from electron micrographs in 1960. Evidence for binary fission of the bacteria, their phagocytosis by histiocytes in the lamina propria, their occurrence between and within the cells of the epithelium and on the brush border of the lumen were reported later. Scanning electron microscopy has been applied by us in an attempt to confirm the earlier observations by the new technique and to describe the bacterium further. Both transmission and scanning electron microscopy have been used concurrently to study the same biopsy specimens, and transmission observations have been used to confirm those made by scanning.The locations of the brush borders, the columnar epithelial cells, the basement membrane and the lamina propria beneath it were each easily identified by scanning electron microscopy. The lamina propria was completely filled with the wiener-shaped bacteria, Fig. 1.

Download Full-text