[3] The terminal fibers mediate attachment of the virus to type 4 pili abundantly present on the host cell surface.

[4][5] SIRV2 is able to survive additions of 6 molar (M) urea, absolute ethanol, octanol-2, and 0.1% Triton X-100 in neutral pH and 25 degrees Celsius.

[3] In vitro testing has shown that SIRV2 is still able to infect at 70-80 degrees Celsius and in a pH 3 solution.

This was proven by inducing a mutation in the SIRVgp19 protein Motif II from the amino acid aspartate to alanine which resulted in a loss of nuclease activity.

[8] The structure revealed a previously unknown form of virion organization, in which the alpha-helical major capsid protein of SIRV2 wraps around the DNA, making it inaccessible to solvent.