PHOTO: EAST NEWS/BSIP
This electron micrograph depicts the paramyxovirus 4A nucleocapsid with its herringbone shaped RNA core.
Being that the parainfluenza viruses are ubiquitous, infections from these organisms can occur sporadically or as widespread epidemics, transmitted via large droplets or microdroplets, i.e. aerosolized, or fomites, i.e. inanimate disease-carrying objects.