Ultrastructural aspects of virus replication in one fatal case and several other isolates from a dengue type 2 outbreak in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Dengue virus replication in mosquito cell cultures was observed by electron microscopy in one fatal and 40 classical isolates from a dengue type 2 outbreak in Rio de Janeiro and compared with the prototype New Guinea C strain. All the Brazilian isolates presented, beside the classical structured dengue virus particles, fuzzy coated virus-like particles, never observed in the referencial New Guinea C virus strain. More numerous DEN-2 virus particles, fuzzy coated virus-like particles, defective virus particles and smooth membrane structures inside the rough endoplasmic reticulum characterized the unique fatal isolate examined.

Ultrastructural studies on dengue virus type 2 infection of cultured human monocytes

“…Typical DEN2 virus particles observed in this study were similar to those reported in mosquito cell cultures [4]. Similar fuzzy coated virus particles have been described by Barth et al [4,5] in DEN2 Brazilian virus-infected C6/36 cell cultures. DEN2 virus used to infect monocytes was New Guinea C virus strain and isolated from virus-infected C6/36 cell cultures, suggesting that the fuzzy coated viral particles are a common feature of DEN2 virus.…”

Cytopathological changes induced by selected Brazilian flaviviruses in mouse macrophages

“…Ng (1987) infected Aedes albopictus cells with Kunjin flavivirus and observed an increased number of vacuoles containing a high density of viral particles in the cytoplasm on the third day after infection. The presence of viral structures inside the rough ER lumen of other cell types was also observed during the replication process of flaviviruses, such as dengue type 2 (Barth et al ., 1994), YF (Ishak et al ., 1988) and ROC (Murphy & Nathanson, 1997). Virus particles start to assemble inside the lumina of the rough ER and membranes lose the attached ribosomes during this process, being transformed into smooth membrane vesicles containing virus particles and tubules (Barth, 1999).…”