Ultrastructural pathology of human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The electron microscope has been used with great skill in many aspects of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It has played a critical role in classifying the human immunodeficiency virus, in characterizing the morphogenesis and gene products of the virus, and in elucidating the host cell targets and interactions. With the aid of the electron microscope, new opportunistic pathogens are being identified, and particularly difficult diagnoses are being made. Extrapolations from observations made at the ultrastructural level to the light microscopic level have provided criteria for the diagnosis of several infectious agents. As with any powerful scientific tool, observations must be interpreted with great care by scientists experienced in electron microscopy.