Varicella-zoster Virus (VZV) |
MORPHOLOGY of vzv
The varicella-zoster virus, like other herpesviridae, has an enveloped polyhedral structure. This type of structure has a polyhedral caspid surrounded by a membranous envelope. In the case of VZV, the caspid is icosahedral which means it is a regular shape with 20 triangular faces and 12 corners. The size of the varicella-zoster virus ranges from 150-200 nm. The envelope around the caspid contain glycoproteins which allow the virus to target receptors on sensory nerve cells (for more information on this process see the page on life cycle).
Herpesviridade contain four main structural elements:
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Sources:
Enveloped Polyhedral Photo: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9pJN62Zrk3Q/Tv50HT3LNrI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/Dm_aW24poOY/s1600/EnvelopedVirus_L.jpg
- Tortora, Gerard J., Berdell R. Funke, and Christine L. Case. Microbiology. 9th ed. San Francisco: Pearson, 2007. Print
- Roizman, Bernard, and Nina Thayer, eds. "Herpesvirus Properties." Herpesvirus Family: Herpesviridae. Los Alamos National Laboratory, n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://stdgen.northwestern.edu/stdgen/bacteria/hhv2/herpes.html
- Dougherty, Matthew. "From Chickenpox to Shingles." In Vivo. Columbia Health Sciences, n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/publications/in-vivo/Vol1_no7_apr15_02/varicella.html>
Enveloped Polyhedral Photo: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9pJN62Zrk3Q/Tv50HT3LNrI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/Dm_aW24poOY/s1600/EnvelopedVirus_L.jpg