Ultrastructure of equine morbillivirus.
Abstract: The ultrastructure of the equine morbillivirus (EMV) which was implicated in the death of one human and fourteen horses in Queensland, Australia during September 1994 and a 36 year old man from Queensland in October 1995 is described. The ultrastructure of the virus and the intracellular virus-specific structures are characteristic for the family Paramyxoviridae. Cytoplasmic nucleocapsids were observed within the infected cells monolayers, endothelial cells (lung) of infected horses and the neurons within the brain of the 36 year old Queensland man. Aggregates of smaller nucleocapsid-like structures were also observed within the brain of the same man; these did not react with sera from recovered EMV-infected horses or from a recovered EMV-infected human. Co-examination of rinderpest virus (RPV), bovine parainfluenza-3 (BPIV-3), human respiratory virus (HRSV) and Sendai virus revealed that their envelope-associated surface projections are equivalent in length to the 15 nm spikes of EMV. EMV differed from these other viruses in that the majority of virions possessed surface projections of two distinct lengths (18 and 15 nm). Further ultrastructural examinations of plaque purified EMV revealed a small percentage of EM viruses possessed a mixed array of surface projections indicating that the 'double-fringed' (DF) particles may be the result of a post-translational modification(s).
Publication Date: 1996-07-01 PubMed ID: 8822630DOI: 10.1016/0168-1702(96)01307-xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research article investigates the ultrastructure of Equine Morbillivirus (EMV), a virus linked to multiple deaths in both humans and horses. The study outlines the virus’ distinct characteristics, observations within infected cells, and suggests the potential for post-translational modification.
What is Equine Morbillivirus (EMV)?
- EMV is a virus that was associated with the death of one human and fourteen horses in Queensland, Australia during 1994, as well as a 36 year old man in 1995.
- The researchers looked at the ultrastructure (the detailed structure of a biological specimen that can only be seen under electron microscope) of this virus.
- They observed that the characteristics of the virus and the virus-related structures inside infected cells align with the family of Paramyxoviridae, a large family of viruses that includes measles and mumps.
Virus Infected Cells
- Looking at the infected cells, the researchers spotted cytoplasmic nucleocapsids (a complex of viral nucleic acid and protein that serves as the ‘package’ for the genetic material of the virus) within monolayers of these cells, in the endothelial cells from the lungs of infected horses, and neurons in the brain of the infected human.
- They also found clusters of smaller nucleocapsid-like structures within the brain of the infected human. However, these did not react to plasma from horses or humans that had recovered from EMV infection.
Comparison with Other Viruses
- The researchers compared EMV with a range of other viruses, including rinderpest virus (RPV), bovine parainfluenza-3 (BPIV-3), human respiratory virus (HRSV), and Sendai virus. They noted that the length of surface projections associated with the envelope (outer layer) of these viruses is similar to 15nm spikes of EMV.
- However, EMV showed a difference. Most virions (the form a virus takes when it is outside a host cell and can infect new cells) of EMV had surface projections of two distinct lengths (18 and 15 nm), differing from the singular length in other compared viruses.
Potential Post-Translational Modifications
- Further analysis of plaque purified EMV (isolating the virus from a plaque-forming unit which is a measure of virus quantity) showed a small percentage of the virus having a mixed array of surface projections.
- This suggests that ‘double-fringed’ (DF) particles may not be a basic part of the virus’ structure, but could emerge from post-translational modifications – changes made to proteins after they are formed.
Cite This Article
APA
Hyatt AD, Selleck PW.
(1996).
Ultrastructure of equine morbillivirus.
Virus Res, 43(1), 1-15.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1702(96)01307-x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Australian Animal Health Laboratory, C.S.I.R.O., Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Adult
- Animals
- Brain / pathology
- Brain / virology
- Cattle
- Cell Line
- Chlorocebus aethiops
- Cricetinae
- Equidae / virology
- Horses / virology
- Humans
- Lung / pathology
- Lung / virology
- Male
- Morbillivirus / ultrastructure
- Morbillivirus Infections / pathology
- Morbillivirus Infections / veterinary
- Morbillivirus Infections / virology
- Nucleocapsid / ultrastructure
- Paramyxoviridae / ultrastructure
- Vero Cells
Citations
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