ABSTRACT
The Rhabdoviridae are a family of viruses whose classification is based upon virion morphology. However, there are many other cases for which only the virion or virus-like particles have been described; so they are classified as possible or probable members of the family. Rhabdovirus virions are enveloped in a membrane derived from the cellular membrane through which they bud. Virion budding occurs on the inner membrane, and virions accumulate in the perinuclear space, after which because of the continuity between the outer nuclear membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum, they reach cytoplasmic vesicles. The size of the virions is clearly an important parameter for rhabdovirus classification, since it is directly related to the length of the nucleocapsid, hence to the length of the genome RNA. For vector-conveyed plant or vertebrate rhabdoviruses, insects contaminated by eating an infected plant or animal are homologous to Drosophila inoculated with s-virus.
