fimbria
/ˈfɪmbriə/
noun
- A fringe or fringed edge, especially on a biological structure such as a cell or organ.
- The fimbria of the fallopian tube helps guide the egg from the ovary.
- Under the microscope, the fimbria looked like tiny hairs along the edge of the cell.
- The biologist studied the fimbria of the bacterium to understand how it attaches to surfaces.
- A hairlike appendage on the surface of some bacteria, used for attachment.
- Scientists discovered that the fimbria is essential for the germ to cause infection.
- Without its fimbria, the microbe could not stick to the host's cells.
- The fimbria allows the bacteria to cling to the lining of the intestine.