Virus names

This section covers:

International standards and resources

Valid virus names down to the level of species are those approved by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), which is a committee of the Virology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies. The ICTV develops a taxonomy and names for viruses subject to the rules in the International code of virus classification and nomenclature.

The ICTV maintains a list of approved names that is released periodically. Changes or additions made between the release of ICTV reports are published in Virology Division News in the journal Archives of Virology. The ICTV is not responsible for nomenclature below species level – for example, strains or isolates.

Australian conventions and resources

In Australia, the naming of viruses follows that of the ICTV.

The Public Health Laboratory Network (part of the Communicable Diseases Network Australia) provides case definitions for virus diseases of humans in Australia. 

Taxonomic names of viruses

In viruses, the highest taxonomic rank is order; names of orders end in ales and are in roman. Names of families end inviridae, names of subfamilies end in virinae, and names of genera end invirus.

Scientific virus species names differ from those of other organisms: they are not in Latin, and the genus name is not usually part of the species name.

Family and genus names have an initial capital and italics

family Virgaviridae     genus Tobamovirus    

To distinguish between family and genus, precede a formal name with its taxonomic rank:

Many lyssaviruses, which are members of the family Rhabdoviridae, occur in bats   or   Most species in the genus Lyssavirus occur in bats
not
Most lyssaviruses, which are members of the Rhabdoviridae, occur in bats

In most contexts, the species name is in roman and lower case (but with an initial capital for proper nouns):

Murray Valley encephalitis virus     tobacco mosaic virus     rabies virus     Ebola virus

Rabies, a disease that is usually fatal in humans, is caused by rabies virus

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV; in the genus Tobamovirus) infects plants, especially tobacco and other members of the family Solanaceae<

However, when using a species name in a taxonomic context, use italics:

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is one of about 35 species in the genus Tobamovirus.

Virus species names can be designated by a number or other code, or by the disease that they cause:

parvovirus r-1     human herpesvirus 1     foot-and-mouth disease virus     Rous sarcoma virus

Virus names may consist of 1 word or more than 1 word. If unsure whether to set a name solid or not, check in the current taxonomy release:

herpesvirus     papillomavirus     retrovirus   but   influenza virus     rubella virus
Return to top

Abbreviating virus names

Reminder. Just because the abbreviation of a term is made up of capitals, it does not mean that the term has capitals when it is spelt out (eg TMV is spelt out Tobacco mosaic virus, not Tobacco Mosaic Virus).

Virus names are commonly abbreviated but should be given in full at first mention. The abbreviation is not italicised and is specific to the publication in which it occurs (attempts to produce a formal list of acronyms have failed because so many are required that the list becomes clumsy):

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV)     Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)     Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

For virus names that include a number, use a hyphen between the number and the abbreviation:

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1)

Return to top

Common names of viruses

The common name of a group of viruses belonging to a genus or higher taxon is directly related to the name and has the suffix virus(es). Attempts to introduce common names for higher taxa, ending in ids and ads, have failed:

Members of the order Nidovirales are called nidoviruses.

Members of the family Coronaviridae are called coronaviruses.

Members of the genus Torovirus are called toroviruses.

However, problems arise when the names of taxa of different levels contain the same word stem. Wording such as The tymoviruses occur in a range of plants could be ambiguous because it is unclear whether it refers to all members of the order Tymovirales, all members of 3 genera in the family Tymoviridae or only the species in the genus Tymovirus.

When taxon names – at all levels – are used informally, italics and initial capital letters are not needed:

Six parvoviruses [to describe viruses that are members of the genus Parvovirus]

Common names of virus species are usually the taxonomic name presented in roman instead of italics.

Make sure that you do not use an initial capital and italics when referring to a virus (a physical entity) rather than a taxon (a concept). If the text is about a virus causing disease or the laboratory procedure used in isolating a virus, the virus name should not be capitalised or italicised. Often, the taxon name (initial capitals and italics) only occurs once:

the tobacco mosaic virus polymerase [to describe the properties of the polymerase in tobacco mosaic virus]

Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) have been inoculated with tobacco mosaic virus.

not

Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) have been inoculated with Tobacco mosaic virus.

Most lyssaviruses occur in bats.

Most lyssaviruses, which are members of the rhabdoviruses, occur in bats.

Names that have not been approved by the ICTV are in roman type, and do not have an initial capital letter:

A new species, eggplant yellow mosaic virus, probably belonging to the genus Begomovirus, has been discovered.

[The name eggplant yellow mosaic virus has not been approved by the ICTV.]

Return to top

User login

... or purchase now

An individual subscription is only A$60 per year

Group and student discounts may apply

Australian manual of scientific style Start communicating effectively

Purchase