Scanning electron microscopy of fungiform papillae on the tongue of man and monkey.

The surface topography of the fungiform papillae of homo and monkey was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Different methods of specimen preparation were tried. Satisfactory preservation was obtained with fixation in formaldehyde, or in glutaraldehyde with postfixation in OSO4, followed by critical point drying. Taste pores were found in nearly half of the fungiform papillae. Up to 3 pores, located in the dorsal surface, were observed in a single papilla. Most taste pores opened in the form of a rounded crater with a diameter of about 5-7 mum, elevated slightly above the surface of the papilla. Microvilli could be observed in large-bore pores.