CYTOPATHOLOGY AND RELEASE OF AN RNA VIRUS FROM A STRAIN OF TRICHOMONAS-VAGINALIS

A strain of Trichomonas vaginalis infected with a double-stranded RNA virus showed pronounced cytopathology in the form of giant syncytia ge nerated by the recruitment of single cells. The giant cells ultimately lysed, releasing virus into the culture medium. In the infected cells , clusters of electron-dense particles resembling viral structures wer e found in the cytoplasm. In addition, distinctive inclusions composed of similar particles were present in the nuclei of some cells. Double -stranded viral RNA of 5.5 kbp was demonstrated in both cytoplasmic an d nuclear fractions from these cells. Viral particles collected from t he cell-free culture supernatant were of the same shape and size as th e RNA virus isolated from a strain of T. vaginalis described previousl y (Wang & Wang, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 260: 3697-3702, 1985; Wang & Wang, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of tire U.S.A. 83: 7956-7960, 1986) which does not show this cytopathology.