ABSTRACT
The rhabdoviruses comprise all known bullet-shaped viruses. This unique form was first described for vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) of horses and cattle. The main structure features of VSV and rabies are the bullet shape, an envelope, and a helical ribonucleoprotein consisting of single stranded RNA and protein. The replication of rabies and VSV follow the pattern of other negative stranded RNA viruses. When sectioned longitudinally rhabdoviruses appear bullet shaped, and round or elliptical when sectioned transversely or obliquely. The nucleoprotein is tightly packed into an envelope which has evenly spaced surface projections. Rabies virus is more bacilliform than VSV, is generally larger, and varies more in diameter. All rhabdoviruses are assembled by budding from the host cell membrane. Rabies infects all warm-blooded mammals and is generally a fatal disease. The inclusion formed by filoviruses consists of highly structured nucleocapsids and nucleo-capsid components. Rhabdovirus nucleocapsid inclusions are not membrane bound and may merge to eventually fill the cytoplasm.
