Recognition and quantitation of herpesvirus particles in human vesicular lesions.

Herpesvirus particles from crude vesicular fluid of a patient were stained with uranyl acetate and potassium phosphotungstate, and then were identified and counted by electron microscopy. Virus was seen and quantitated in all the samples taken from five vesicles. Specimens from human lesions can be prepared and examined within 3 hours, permitting rapid presumptive identification of herpesvirus.