Cytopathic effect
Cytopathogenic viruses cause characteristic morphological changes in the infected cell that are typical for certain types of virus. These changes are summarized under the generic term cytopathic effect (CPE) or cytopathic effect .
The CPE is necessary for virus diagnostics and histological assessment of pathological material for differential diagnosis .
There are different types of CPE:
- Rounding of the cells and detachment from the cell structure with subsequent lysis (e.g. by Picornaviridae )
- Formation of multinucleated giant cells ( syncytia ) based on cell fusion (e.g. Paramyxoviridae )
- Formation of mononuclear giant cells ( cytomegaloviruses )
- Formation of inclusion bodies (e.g. smallpox viruses , adenoviruses , rabies viruses )
In virus diagnostics, the CPE is used in the plaque assay to determine virus concentrations.
literature
- Fritz H. Kayser among others: Medical microbiology. 11th revised and expanded edition. Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-13-444811-4 ( pocket textbook ).