Kern Canyon virus: electron microscopic and immunological studies.

Kern Canyon virus (KCV), propagated in suckling mouse brain and cell culture, was examined by negative contrast and thin section electron microscopy. The virus was found to exhibit symmetry similar to other viruses of the Stomatoviridae family. The bullet-shaped virus particles had a mean length of 132 micron and were 73 micron in diameter. Cross striations, axial channels and surface projections were prominent. Virus maturation occurred on marginal cytoplasmic membranes with mature virions accumulating extracellularly. Complement fixation, virus neutralization, and immunodiffusion tests comparing KCV with other bullet-shaped viruses of animals confirmed the distinct antigenicity of the virus, whereas comparison of KCV with vesicular stomatitis virus in a density gradient ultracentrifugation experiment emphasized the physical basis for including KCV within the Stomatoviridae family of viruses.