[Electrical properties of the foot-and-mouth disease virus].

It has been shown that the electron microscopy method can be used for characteristics of the electric properties of foot-and-mouth disease virus. The appearance of simultaneous positive and negative staining during the negative staining of virus preparations with 3-4% PTV solution shows the presence of full virions of constant poles designated as positively and negatively stained areas of protein coat surface. The lateral orientation of virions on the film at routine conditions of preparation and the possibility of virion orientation on the film in the external electrical field allow to characterize the full virions as electric dipoles. It has been suggested that there is a relationship between a virus structure and the character of its electric properties.