Ultrastructural changes in bovine lingual epithelium infected with vesicular stomatitis virus.

Vesicular stomatitis virus was inoculated into the dorsal lingual epithelium of three cows. The reaction that developed in 72 h was characterized by severe acute diffuse glossitis with intercellular edema and necrosis of keratinocytes. Virions budded from the plasma membrane and were in the intercellular spaces. Reduplication of desmosomes was a prominent alteration, and normal desmosomes were within the cytoplasm. Intracytoplasmic desmosomes appeared to be formed by endocytosis after breaks occurred in the plasma membrane of one cell; endocytosis of loops of plasma membrane containing desmosomes; and formation of desmosomes on invagination of the plasma membrane.