Ultrastructural study of viral replication in human fetal intestinal organ culture

Summary Human fetal intestinal organ cultures were employed to study the growth patterns of various viruses and resultant cytoarchitectural changes using electron microscopic techniques. Representative strains of adenovirus, adenovirusassociated virus, herpes simplex virus, poliovirus, and echovirus were chosen for the study. The intracellular localization of these viruses was demonstrated, and the occurrence and rate of cellular destruction were observed. The difficulty of visualizing smaller viruses represented was emphasized. The use of these techniques to detect certain fastidious viruses of the gastrointestinal tract was suggested, since human fetal intestinal organ culture provides differentiated cell types which may be important for the initiation and support of viral replication.