SYDNEY, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in Australia have captured the first high-resolution images of the yellow fever virus (YFV), a potentially deadly viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes that affects the liver.

Australia's University of Queensland (UQ) researchers have revealed structural differences between the vaccine strain (YFV-17D) and the virulent, disease-causing strains of the virus, a UQ statement said on Wednesday.

Yellow fever is a major public health concern in parts of South America and Africa, and with no approved antiviral treatments, vaccination is the primary means of prevention, according to the study published in Nature Communications.

Despite decades of research on yellow fever, this was the first time a complete 3D structure of a fully mature yellow fever virus particle had been recorded at near-atomic resolution, said one of the study's authors, Summa Bibby, research officer from UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.

"By utilizing the well-established Binjari virus platform developed here at UQ, we combined yellow fever's structural genes with the backbone of the harmless Binjari virus and produced virus particles that could be safely examined with a cryo-electron microscope," Bibby said.

The research showed that the particles of the vaccine strain had a smooth and stable surface layer, while virulent strains display bumpy, uneven surfaces, she said, adding that the differences change how the body's immune system recognizes the virus.

"The bumpier, irregular surface of the virulent strains exposes parts of the virus that are normally hidden, allowing certain antibodies to attach more easily," Bibby said, adding the smooth vaccine particles keep those regions covered, making them harder for particular antibodies to reach.

According to the statement, the discovery provides crucial new insights into yellow fever biology, opens the door to improved vaccine design and antiviral strategies for it and other orthoflaviviruses, and could even inform future vaccine design for related viruses like dengue, Zika and West Nile. ■