Viral Erythrocytic Necrosis (VEN) Combo
Detailed Description
From left to right:
Image 1: Normal red blood cells (erythrocytes) from a healthy Pacific herring. Note the dark staining nucleus surrounded by the lighter staining cytoplasm.
Image 2: Erythrocytes from a wild, Puget Sound herring demonstrating severe VEN. Note the presence of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in the erythrocytes. Inclusioned erythrocytes are killed by the virus and are replaced by erythroblasts (cells with the blue-staining cytoplasm). Eventually, the inclusioned blast cells also die and the hematocrit of infected herring drops to dangerously low levels.
Image 3: Electron micrograph of erythrocytes demonstrating cytoplasmic inclusion bodies typical of VEN. Note the presence of icosahedral-shaped virions indicative of iridoviruses.
Sources/Usage
Public Domain.