MORPHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS

Abstract

Chikungunya virus was first detected by electron microscopy of primary chick embryo fibroblast cultures 5 hours after inoculation. Two types of particles were observed in the cytoplasm of infected cells, but not in uninoculated cells. The smaller, presumably precursor particles, measured 260 to 280 Å. The larger particles contained dense cores 260 to 280 Å in diameter and outer shells 500 to 560 Å in diameter. In cell lysates stained negatively with phosphotungstic acid 12 and 24 hours after inoculation, virus particles surrounded by fine outer membranes showed diameters of 540 to 580 Å. Infective virus was first detected 5 hours after inoculation and maximum yields of cell-associated and extracellular virus were attained at 8 to 10 hours.