Viral Pathogenesis and Host Interactions

Source: Vacca, O., et al. Using Adeno-associated Virus as a Tool to Study Retinal Barriers in Disease. J. Vis. Exp. (2015)This video demonstrates the intravitreal injection of an adeno-associated viral vector into a mouse model with a compromised inner limiting membrane. The resulting fluorescent protein expression reveals the extent of retinal barrier disruption based on viral penetration into deeper retinal layers.

Source: Haenraets, K., et al., Adeno-associated Virus-mediated Transgene Expression in Genetically Defined Neurons of the Spinal Cord. J. Vis. Exp. (2018)This video demonstrates intraspinal microinjection of recombinant adeno-associated virus into the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord to achieve localized neuronal transduction, enabling targeted gene expression for studying sensory circuit function and behavior.

Source: Chang, X. et al. Preparation of Pseudo-Typed H5 Avian Influenza Viruses with Calcium Phosphate Transfection Method and Measurement of Antibody Neutralizing Activity. J. Vis. Exp. (2021)The video demonstrates the neutralization of influenza pseudoviruses by antibodies that block the HA protein from binding to host cells. A luciferase reporter system reveals the reduction in viral entry with increasing antibody concentrations, showing the effectiveness of antibody-mediated neutralization.

Source: Azar, S. R.,et al. Vector Competence Analyses on Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes using Zika Virus. J. Vis. Exp. (2020).This video demonstrates the use of a focus forming assay to evaluate vector competence in geographically distinct Aedes aegypti populations experimentally exposed to the Zika virus. By detecting infectious virus in mosquito bodies, legs, and saliva, the assay quantifies infection, dissemination, and transmission potential. The resulting foci are used to assess how effectively...

Source: Rahn, E., et al. Ex Vivo Infection of Murine Epidermis with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1. J. Vis. Exp. (2015)This video demonstrates the immunofluorescent detection of herpes simplex virus type 1 infection in murine epidermal whole mounts, enabling visualization of viral protein expression and its distribution within basal keratinocytes by confocal microscopy.

Source: Zhu, Q. et al. Establishment and Quantification of De Novo Lytic Infection by Cell-free Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus. J. Vis. Exp. (2025)This video demonstrates a green fluorescent protein (GFP) based infectious units assay to quantify the infectivity of Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) in mammalian cancer cells.

Source: Manocheewa, S., et al. Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses. J. Vis. Exp. (2015)This video demonstrates the use of reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to quantify the replication efficiency of wild-type and mutant viruses following infection of human blood immune cells.

Source: Cheng, B. Y. et al. Generation of Recombinant Arenavirus for Vaccine Development in FDA-Approved Vero Cells. J. Vis. Exp. (2013)The video demonstrates the generation of recombinant arenaviruses in Vero cells by delivering host polymerase–driven plasmids encoding viral proteins and antigenomic RNA segments. It presents the initiation of viral gene expression by host enzymes, the formation of replication complexes, the progression of genome synthesis and ribonucleoprotein assembly, and...