Abstract

Mosquito cell line, strain C6/36 from Aedes albopictus, infected by dengue viruses, in most cases presents a typical cytopathic effect. Syncytia formation starts after the first or second day of cell infection. The cell fusión achieves its máximum at the third or fourth-day post-infection. In sequence, syncytia break into large vacuoles and cell lysis occur. Some cells are resistant to the virus infection and by the nineth-day postinfections the cell monolayer may be restored and progress to the persistent viral infections. The evolution of syncytia corresponds by transmission electrón microscope observations lo the formation and increase of viral replication complexes inside the RER and the successíve fusion from within of cell clusters,