Hosts can be infected with multiple herpesviruses, known as superinfection; however, superinfection of cells is rare due to the phenomenon known as superinfection inhibition. While it is believed that dual infection of cells can occur in nature, it has not been directly shown in a natural model. Thus, it is important to find and study a good natural model for dual infection of cells so we can better understand pathogenic principles of human herpesvirus disease. Gallid herpesvirus 2 (GaHV-2), better known as Marek's disease virus (MDV), in chickens is an excellent pathogen-host model because the early and late stages of infection of chickens with MDV largely mimic those of varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which commonly causes chicken pox in children and adults. Recently, fluorescently tagged viruses were developed so they can be tracked in the feather follicle epithelial skin cells for easy identification. However, it is essential to better identify the viruses infecting the feather follicles using transmission electron microscopy. The presentation will discuss the efforts made towards effectively identifying the infectious viruses utilizing both scanning confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

Characterizing dual infection and superinfection inhibition by two alphaherpesviruses in a natural host with scanning confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy

245th National Meeting (2013)

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