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Micro World

How small is a West Nile virus?

A West Nile virus is about 50 nm across.

What is measured: enveloped flavivirus particle, diameter

West Nile Virus (50 nm) drawn to scale beside a ribosome (25 nm) and a flu virus (100 nm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Ribosome (25 nm), West Nile Virus (50 nm) and Flu virus (100 nm).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • About 2 would fit across a flu virus
  • As wide as about 2 ribosomes side by side
  • About 25× as wide as a DNA double helix

Learn

Facts about West Nile Virus

West Nile virus is spread mainly by Culex mosquitoes and can cause encephalitis in severe cases.

Source: CDC: West Nile Virus; ViralZone: Flavivirus

Micro World

NameSizeCompared with West Nile Virus
Bacteriophage Phi X17427 nm0.54×
Qβ Bacteriophage28 nm0.56×
Silver Nanoparticle40 nm0.8×
Fibrinogen Molecule45 nm0.9×
Silicon Nanowire50 nmsame size
West Nile Virus50 nmthis page
Human Papillomavirus55 nm1.1×
Cyanophage P-SSP760 nm1.2×
Silica Nanoparticle100 nm2×
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle100 nm2×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: West Nile Virus or Cyanophage P-SSP7?

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