%0 Journal Article %A Stannard, Linda M. %A van der Riet, F. De St. J. %A Moodie, J. W. %T The Morphology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Particles by Negative Staining Electron Microscopy %D 1987 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 68 %N 3 %P 919-923 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-68-3-919 %K electron microscopy %K morphology %K HIV %I Microbiology Society, %X SUMMARY Negative staining electron microscopy was used to examine culture fluids from the H9/HTLV-III cell line after concentration by centrifugation. Characteristic retroviruslike particles bearing distinctive envelope projections were seen. The virion envelope was frequently extended in the form of a bleb or a tail. These particles were morphologically virtually indistinguishable from similar preparations of Friend murine leukaemia virus. H9/HTLV-III culture fluids contained, in addition, numerous comet-shaped particles with a dense head and flared tail. These particles were clumped by the addition of anti-HTLV-III-positive serum suggesting that they may represent intermediate forms of the virus. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-68-3-919