Morphogenesis of koi herpesvirus observed by electron microscopy

Koi herpesvirus (KHV or cyprinid herpesvirus 3) was inoculated onto three fish cell lines derived from carp, Cyprinus carpio L., and the process of virion formation observed with electron microscopy. Essentially, similar features of virus particles were observed in all three cell lines. The nucleus of infected cells was characterized by margination of chromatin and often contained many capsids of about 110 nm in diameter with varying morphology. The morphological variation of the capsids was very similar to that of mammalian herpesviruses. Some capsids protruded from the inner nuclear membrane, and others, with envelopes, were located in the perinuclear space between the inner and outer nuclear membrane, suggesting budding of capsids at the inner nuclear membrane. Naked capsids and envelopment of capsids by budding into vesicles were also observed in the cytoplasm. Mature, enveloped virions 170-200 nm in diameter were seen in cytoplasmic vesicles or outside the cell. These observations suggest KHV virions mature through a complex morphological pathway including two distinct envelopments, which have been found only in herpesviruses. These observations support the inclusion of KHV in the family Herpesviridae.