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Scientists have shared the first detailed images of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, showing the multiplication of the deadly insect in the gut.
The images were collected by an international team of researchers, led by the University of Dundee.
They were taken under an ultra-powerful electron microscope and show virus particles in a tissue model of the human intestine.
To take the images, the researchers infected the cells of the human intestine with the virus in a laboratory, before monitoring the response of the cells.
The first set of images shows the virus assembling in the human intestine, while the second set shows the virus emerging from human intestinal cells.
Each of the images is over 30-50 GBytes. In comparison, that’s 500 to 1,000 times bigger than an image recorded on an iPhone!
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To share unique images with scientists around the world, the researchers created a new database, called the Image Data Resource (IDR).
Professor Jason Swedlow, who led the project, said: “We are excited to publish these important new datasets in IDR, where they can be seen by researchers around the world, who can also scan the images and see the SARS-CoV- 2 viruses up close on your computer. “
“We have included annotations by the authors so that anyone reading the article from the research teams in the Netherlands can easily see what the authors published, but can also examine other parts of the data and perhaps make their own discoveries.
“This type of data exchange has never been as important as in our current situation where we urgently need to work around the world to learn more about this disease and ultimately be able to treat or control it.”
The researchers hope the images help explain why about a third of Coronavirus patients experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.
Dr. Frances Wong, curator of Professor Swedlow’s IDR team, said: “The images are incredible, and I hope that the additional annotations that our team has added will increase the usefulness of the data to the global scientific community.”
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