The demonstration of calcium in the axonal granules of the peripheral nervous system of male Schistosoma mansoni by X-ray microanalysis.

A conspicuous feature of freeze-dried cryosections of male Schistosoma mansoni is the presence of groups of electron-dense granules. X-ray analysis in the TEM of these granules shows them, in comparison with the adjacent cytoplasm, to contain significantly greater amounts of sodium and calcium. In glutaraldehyde-fixed material, these granules have been correlated with the membrane-bounded, electron-dense granules found within the axons of the peripheral nervous system.