Morphology

MORPHOLOGY 

  • The virions are enveloped; spherical to pleomorphic with 65-70 nm in diameter. The surface projections are prominent with distinctive spikes.
  • The genetic material comprises of a single molecule non-segmented linear positive-sense single-stranded RNA. The complete genome is 11,700 nucleotides long.
  • The 5'-end of the genome has a cap, and the 3'-terminus has poly (A) tail. The viral RNA resembles cellular mRNA in structure.
Last modified: Wednesday, 29 September 2010, 9:09 AM