Using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) as a non-invasive method to studying fixed parasites

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is popular and for taxonomy of parasites very important and not substituted method in many times. However sometimes taxonomists have only one specimen and cannot use classical SEM, because their sample (poor conductor) have to be fixed, dehydrated and coated before it can be observed. This method condemns samples for destroying and do not allow other using of it, e.g. for molecular study or depositing as type material in museum. Moreover, the specimen preparation is often long and slow. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) brings two main advantages: elimination of speed of sample preparation and non-invasivity