International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses Official Names for Viral Families

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (formerly International Committee on Nomenclature of Viruses) has made decisions about family and generic names for viruses belonging to three families. Definitions and distinguishing features of these families and genera, as approved by International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, have been published in ‘Intervirology’ (Fenner et al. 1974). In order to disseminate this information widely and rapidly, a brief summary of the decisions follows.

Family Togaviridae. A family that includes all the viruses that were previously classified as Alphavirus and Arbovirus Group B (Wildy, 1971).

Genera Alphavirus = Alphavirus (Wildy, 1971).

Flavivirus (note spelling) = Arbovirus group B (Wildy, 1971).

Family Reoviridae. Non-enveloped spherical viruses with genomes consisting of several pieces of double-stranded RNA encapsidated within a single virus particle.

Genera Reovirus (Wildy, 1971).

Orbivirus (suggested by Borden et al. 1971; for description of genus, see Fenner et al. 1974).