STUDIES ON MORPHOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT OF OEDMEUS ASIATICUS ENTOMOPOXVIRUS PROPAGATED IN OEDALEUS INFERNALIS

The morphological characteristics and development of Oedaleus asiaticus entomopoxvirus propagated in Oeddeus infernalis are reported. This virus mainly infected host's fat bodies and hemocytes. Three kinds of spheroids were observed during propagation: big spheroid (30. 41 μm × 25. 40 μm), ellipsoid (6. 58 μm × 4. 78 μm) and small spheroid (3. 35 μm × 2. 60 μm). The virions embeded in them were oval, measuring 230 nm × 176 nm. The typical characteristic of poxviruses as spherical units with the mulberry-like surface could be seen under transmission electron microscope. The lateral body was cylinder-shaped. The rope-like substances in the core folded back only once; therefore two spots in transverse sections were seen. The development of the virions included four stages: the appearance of viro-plasm, the formation of spherical particles, the differentiation of core and capsid. The grasshoppers only in the same genus could be infected by this virus.