title: Preliminary characterisation of torovirus-like particles of humans: comparison with Berne virus of horses and Breda virus of calves.
abstract: Pleomorphic virus-like particles have been observed by electron microscopy in the faeces of children and adults with diarrhoea. Some of these particles were approximately 100 nm in diameter and had a "fringe" of closely applied peplomers approximately 10 nm long; they closely resembled Berne virus of horses and Breda virus of calves, the two representatives of a newly proposed family called the Toroviridae. In one sample a toroidal nucleoprotein-like structure was observed within the particles. For two samples a buoyant density of 1.14 g/ml was determined by centrifugation through a sucrose density gradient. One sample possessed a haemagglutinin for rat erythrocytes. The serological relationship between these different viruses was observed by immune electron microscopy, haemagglutination inhibition, and serum neutralisation. The role of these virus-like particles as candidate pathogens of humans is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D002648:Child; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D014713:Viruses, Unclassified / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure*