Prokaryotic Cells in the Hydrothermal Vent Tube Worm Riftia pachyptila Jones: Possible Chemoautotrophic Symbionts

Abstract
The existence of a symbiotic association between vestimentiferan tube worms from deep-sea hydrothermal vents and chemoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing prokaryotes, based on histological and enzymatic evidence, is suggested.