A Study of the early stages of infection with the tipula iridescent virus

Abstract

Ultra-thin sections and electron microscopy have been used in a study of the empty membranes which occur in the fatbody cells of the larva of T. paludosa infected with the Tipula Iridescent Virus (TIV).It has been observed that these empty membranes are most numerous in the early stages of infection. Later an apparent ‘primary body’, which may be threadlike in its initial stages, develops in the centre of the membrane. This primary body seems to increase in size until the membrane is filled, and the various steps in this process can easily be seen.It is suggested that the formation of the empty membranes and the apparent gradual development of their contents are the means by which the virus multiplies.The remarkable resemblance between the empty virus membranes and the endoplasmic reticulum is pointed out.