Electron microscopy of neurotropic African horse-sickness virus

Abstract

During attempts at purification of horse-sickness virus for electron-microscopy from infected mouse brain extracts, it was found that a combination of polyethylene glycol precipitation of the virus, ultracentrifugation and zone electrophoresis gave promising results. The final purified material could not be regarded as pure on account of the presence of considerable normal brain components, but it contained particles not present in normal brain treated identically, which could be recognized as virus particles. The virus particles appear to have diameters of 70-80 mμ and are estimated to have 92 rod-shaped subunits radiating from a spherical body. © 1963, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.