Question: is villi covered in thick mucus?
Answer: The mucus layer of the small intestine The small intestine is covered by a single layer of mucus built around the MUC2 mucin [4;7;8]. This mucus is not attached to the epithelium and is also more permeable to bacteria (Fig. 1B). The mucins are normally released at the crypt openings and the mucus will cover the villi.