Feline picornavirus - Structure of the virus and electron microscopic observations on infected cell cultures

Abstract

The structure of four strains of feline picornavirus was examined. In negatively stained preparations the virus had a mean diameter of 37 mμ. Alternative interpretations of its structure are discussed in relation to its characteristic pattern of staining. In infected feline foetal kidney cells, virus was present only in the cytoplasm. Virus particles in sections had a densely staining central core 20 mμ in diameter surrounded by a less dense zone giving an overall diameter of about 35 mμ. Virus was frequently associated with cytoplasmic microfibrils and in infected cells a prominent feature was the occurrence of complex bodies formed by infoldings of rough endoplasmic reticulum into dilated ..