ABSTRACT
Measles virus is a paramyxovirus. Its virions have a diameter of 100 to 250 nm and consist of a helical ribonucleoprotein core surrounded by a lipid envelope. The virions replicate predominantly in the cytoplasm and are released from the cell surface by budding. The envelope of the virion is composed of at least two glycoproteins: F, which causes membrane fusion and is crucial for infectivity; and H, which is the hemagglutinin. Antibodies to F glycoprotein inhibit viral infectivity.
