Image: TEM of avian infectious bronchitis virus rotated cropped

Description: This 1975, digitally colorized transmission electron microscopic (TEM) image, depicted four avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) virions, which are Coronaviridae family members. IBV is a highly contagious pathogen, which infects poultry of all ages, affecting a number of organ systems, including the respiratory and urogenital organs. IBV possesses a helical genome, composed of non-segmented, positive-sense single-stranded RNA ((+) ssRNA). This is an enveloped virus, which means that its outermost covering is derived from the host cell membrane. The coronavirus derives its name from the fact that under electron microscopic examination, each virion is surrounded by a corona, or halo, due to the presence of viral spike peplomers emanating from its proteinaceous capsid.
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