Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) Virus

Venezuelan equine encephalitis is caused by a virus in the family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus (Fig. 1 and 2). It is an enveloped virus with an icosahedral capsid 60 to 70 nm in diameter with a linear, single-stranded positive-sense RNA nonsegmented genome of approximately 11.4 kilobases (1). These images are electron micrographs of virus growing in Aedes albopictus C6/36 cells 8 days postinfection and negatively stained with 2% phosphotungstate from an outbreak in Gualaca, Panama, in 1971. Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses occur in South and Central America and in the Florida Everglades of the United States (2). Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus exists in two settings: (i) a continuous cycle maintained between Culex mosquito vectors and rodents (enzootic) and (ii) epidemics that involve several mosquito species that feed on mammals (epizootic).

See also:

Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) Infection in Horses

References.

1. Griffin, D. E. 2001. Alphaviruses. p. 917–962. In D. M. Knipe and P. M. Howley (ed.), Fields virology. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pa.

2. Roberts, W. A., and G. A. Carter. 1976. Essentials of veterinary virology, p. 107. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, Mich.

Resource Type
Video (49)
Image (439)
Animation (126)
Protocol (38)
Tags
Cell Biology (248)
Genetics (78)
Humans (363)
Environment (270)
Diversity (106)
Teaching (344)

Author	Thomas Walton
Author - Secondary	Erica Suchman

View / Comment
Enlarged view	FIG. 1. Electron micrograph of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus in an Aedes albopictus C6/36 cell 8 days postinfection at 20,500x magnification. Arrows point to virus particles some of which are in the cytoplasm (upward arrow) and some in an organelle, most likely the Golgi apparatus (downward arrow), where viral envelope proteins are glycosolated.
View / Comment
Labeled View	(Labeled view)
View / Comment
Enlarged view	FIG. 2. Electron micrograph of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus.

Information	Venezuelan equine encephalitis is caused by a virus in the family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus (Fig. 1 and 2). It is an enveloped virus with an icosahedral capsid 60 to 70 nm in diameter with a linear, single-stranded positive-sense RNA nonsegmented genome of approximately 11.4 kilobases (1). These images are electron micrographs of virus growing in Aedes albopictus C6/36 cells 8 days postinfection and negatively stained with 2% phosphotungstate from an outbreak in Gualaca, Panama, in 1971. Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses occur in South and Central America and in the Florida Everglades of the United States (2). Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus exists in two settings: (i) a continuous cycle maintained between Culex mosquito vectors and rodents (enzootic) and (ii) epidemics that involve several mosquito species that feed on mammals (epizootic). See also: Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) Infection in Horses References. 1. Griffin, D. E. 2001. Alphaviruses. p. 917–962. In D. M. Knipe and P. M. Howley (ed.), Fields virology. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pa. 2. Roberts, W. A., and G. A. Carter. 1976. Essentials of veterinary virology, p. 107. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, Mich.
Related Content	Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE) Infection in Horses
Share