Intruders stalked their prey with stealth and precision, preparing to pierce through the mine armor. Once inside, the aggressor forces the host to produce more intruders, then causes them to explode, releasing a large number of invaders that can continue their rampage on a larger scale.
The drama, depicted in a microscopic video of SARS-CoV-2 infecting bat brain cells, offers a window into how pathogens turn cells into virus-making factories before causing host cell death.
The video was produced by Sophie Marie Escher and Delphine Planas, virologists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, who received the award under a microscope. Video Contest Sponsored by Nikon Imaging Corporation.
Filmed for 48 hours with images recorded every 10 minutes, the footage shows the coronavirus as red spots spreading among masses of gray dots – bat brain cells. Once they are infected, the bat cells begin to fuse with neighboring cells. At some point, the entire mass ruptures, resulting in cell death.
–
