Electron Microscopy in the Rapid Diagnosis of Smallpox

A Generalized Herpetic Infection Simulating Smallpox in a Gorilla

“…Electron microscopy was done with negative staining by phosphotungstic acid [3]. Inoculation of chick embryos was conducted by a routine method [4], For poxvirus antigen detection, agar gel precipitation and indirect hemagglutination tests (IHT) with sheep erythrocytes sensitized by anti-vaccinial antibodies were utilized [5].…”

Laboratory diagnosis of smallpox: role of the Virus Reference Laboratory, Colindale, 1947–70

“…It stemmed from the application of the pioneering work by Downie (1943Downie ( , 1946Downie ( , 1947 on laboratory diagnosis in smallpox, in which he combined the serological vaccinia-variola group reaction (Craigie & Wishart, 1936) with viral culture on the chorioallantoic membrane of the developing chick embryo (Downie, 1939;Irons et al 1941 (Dumbell & Nizamuddin, 1959) which would provide an answer on vaccinia-variola within 1-2 h though it was less useful for chickenpox. The value of electron microscopy in demonstrating the presence of poxviruses or other viruses, established by Peters, Nielson & Bayer (1962) and Nagington & Macrae (1965), was extensively confirmed (Cruickshank, Bedson & Watson, 1966) (Macrae et al 1969). From that time its most effective use was in the differential diagnosis of vesicular skin rashes, particularly for distinguishing the herpesvirus particles of chickenpox.…”

Application of Electron Microscopy in Viral Diagnosis

“…Clinical specimens from skin lesions often provide excellent sources for direct examination by EM because of their high content of virus. Poxvirus and herpesvirus are easily detected in vesicle fluid and crusts from patients with smallpox and chickenpox, and the differentiation between these two virus groups has been of great importance in diagnostic virology (Peters et al, 1962;Nagington, 1964;Cruickshank et al, 1966). Orfvirus, the etiological agent of ectyma contagiosum, and molluscum contagiosum are without any difficulties demonstrated in skin tumors (Macrae et al, 1969;Johannessen et al, 1975), and papovavirus in common warts and genital warts (Williams et al, 1961;Oriel and Almeida, 1970) .…”

“…Since then detection of a variety of viruses by EM in clinical specimens from infected humans has been reported. Poxvirus and herpesvirus were demonstrated in skin lesions (Peters et al, 1962;Nagington, 1964;Cruickshank et al, 1966), paramyxovirus in nasopharyngeal secretions (Doane et al, 1967(Doane et al, , 1969Joncas, 1969), hepatitis-Bvantigen in serum (Bayer et al, 1968), rotavirus and adenovirus in faecal samples (Bishop et al, 1974;Flewett et al, 1973Flewett et al, , 1974 and several more. But only quite recently, however, has the microscope been recognized as an important tool in rapid diagnosis of viral infections (Banatvala et al, 1975;Doane and Anderson, 1977).…”