Cytopathic effect (abbreviated CPE) refers to structural changes in host cells that are caused by viral invasion. The infecting virus causes lysis of the host cell or when the cell dies without lysis due to an inability to replicate.[1] If a virus causes these morphological changes in the host cell, it is said to be cytopathogenic.[2] Common examples of CPE include rounding of the infected cell, fusion with adjacent cells to form syncytia, and the appearance of nuclear or cytoplasmic inclusion bodies.[3]
CPEs and other changes in cell morphology are only a few of the many effects by cytocidal viruses. When a cytocidal virus infects a permissive cell, the viruses kill the host cell through changes in cell morphology, in cell physiology, and the biosynthetic events that follow. These changes are necessary for efficient virus replication but at the expense of the host cell.[3]
- ^ "Cytopathic Effect (CPE)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Cytopathic Effects of Viruses Protocolswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Baron, Samuel (1996). "Effects on Cells". Medical Microbiology (4th ed.). TX: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. ISBN 9780963117212. PMID 21413282. Retrieved 19 November 2014.