Atomic force microscopy imaging of retroviruses: Human immunodeficiency virus and murine leukemia virus

Retroviruses are membrane-enveloped, RNA-containing viruses that produce a wide range of threatening diseases in higher animals. Among these are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which produces acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in humans, and murine leukemia virus (MuLV), which produces leukemias in rodents. We have obtained the first atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of these two retroviruses, both isolated from culture media and...