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Micro World

How small is Shigella flexneri?

Shigella flexneri is about 2.5 µm long.

What is measured: rod-shaped enteric bacterium

Shigella flexneri (2.5 µm) drawn to scale beside an E. coli bacterium (2 µm) and a red blood cell (7.5 µm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: E. coli bacterium (2 µm), Shigella flexneri (2.5 µm) and Red blood cell (7.5 µm).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • A little longer than an E. coli bacterium
  • About 2 would fit across a red blood cell
  • About 8 would fit across a cloud droplet
  • About 25× the width of a flu virus

Learn

Facts about Shigella flexneri

Shigella flexneri can invade human intestinal cells using a specialized injection system.

Source: CDC: Shigella; ASM Microbe Library

Micro World

NameSizeCompared with Shigella flexneri
Nitrosomonas europaea Bacterium1.5 µm0.6×
Micrococcus luteus1.5 µm0.6×
Listeria monocytogenes2 µm0.8×
Campylobacter jejuni2 µm0.8×
Klebsiella pneumoniae2 µm0.8×
Deinococcus radiodurans2 µm0.8×
Shigella flexneri2.5 µmthis page
Penicillium Spore3 µm1.2×
Aspergillus niger Spore4 µm1.6×
Clostridium difficile4 µm1.6×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Shigella flexneri or Penicillium Spore?

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