False colour transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of colony of Bacteroides gingivalis (previously Bacteroides melaninogenicus spp. assaccharolyticus), a species of bacteria causing gingival & periodontal disease (ie gum abscesses). Individual bacteria appear rod-shaped or spherical (cocco-bacilli). Nearly all members of the B. melaninogenicus group have been associated with infection in man & animals. In man they are found in mouth, intestine & urogenital tract as part of normal, commensal flora. Magnification: X 12,500 at 35mm size.