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Electron microscopy of cells showing viral cytopathic effects in Papanicolaou smears

J Smith, D V Coleman

    Acta Cytologica
    |November 1, 1983
    PubMed

    Insights

    A new method allows direct visualization of virus particles in cells using electron microscopy after light microscopy screening. This technique aids in studying viral infections and analyzing historical cytologic samples.

    Area of Science:

    • * Cellular pathology
    • * Virology
    • * Microscopy

    Background:

    • * Identifying virus infections often relies on observing cellular changes.
    • * Direct visualization of virus particles can be challenging with standard methods.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • * To describe a technique for electron microscopic examination of Papanicolaou-stained smears.
    • * To enable direct visualization of virus particles within cells exhibiting cytologic changes.

    Main Methods:

    • * Processing Papanicolaou-stained cytologic smears for electron microscopy.
    • * Examining over 100 processed smears using electron microscopy.

    Main Results:

    • * Demonstration of cellular morphologic changes indicative of viral infection.
    • * Visualization of virus particles' ultrastructural appearances.
    • * Successful application to over 100 Papanicolaou-stained smears.

    Conclusions:

    • * The described technique facilitates direct visualization of virus particles in cytologic samples.
    • * Valuable for retrospective analysis of mounted cytologic and histologic materials.
    • * Effective research tool for studying human polyomavirus and human wart virus infections.

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