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USGS · 70162230

Physio-chemical and morphological characteristics of avian encephalomyelitis virus

L.H. Gosting·B.W. Grinnell·M. Matsumoto
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Abstract

Avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV) was purified from infected chick embryos by a gradient centrifugation in cesium chloride. The virus had a buoyant density of 1.31 to 1.32 g/ml and a sedimentation coefficient of 148 S. The purified AEV was resistant to treatments with chloroform, acid pH or trypsin. The presence of Mg++ stabilized the virus against heat inactivation (56°C, 1 h). Electron microscopic study showed the virus to be 24 to 32 nm in diameter. The surface structure of the purified virus was not easily discernable. Nevertheless, with uranyl acetate-stained particles, Markham's rotation technique revealed that AEV has five-fold symmetry with 32 or 42 capsomers. Exact classification of AEV awaits characterization of the viral nucleic acid.

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L.H. Gosting, B.W. Grinnell, M. Matsumoto. 1980. Physio-chemical and morphological characteristics of avian encephalomyelitis virus. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1135(80)90013-9

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