Magnified pictures of the microbial cause of the pneumonia outbreak that’s sparked a global health emergency were released by scientists at the University of Hong Kong Friday.

Thin-section electron micrographs of the novel coronavirus show part of an infected cell, grown in a culture, with virus particles being released from the cell’s surface.

Each infected cell produces thousands of new infectious virus particles that can go on to infect new cells, said John Nicholls, a clinical professor of pathology at the university, who grew the virus with colleagues Leo Poon and Malik Peiris.