Changes to virus taxonomy and to the International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (2021)

Authors: WALKER, PETER - University Of Queensland; SIDDELL, STUART - University Of Bristol; LEFKOWITZ, ELLIOT - University Of Alabama At Birmingham; MUSHEGIAN, ARCADY - National Science Foundation (NSF); ADRIAENSSENS, EVELIEN - The Quadram Institute Bioscience; ALFENAS-ZERBINI, POLIANE - Universidade Federal De Viçosa; DAVISON, ANDREW - University Of Glasgow; DEMPSEY, DONALD - University Of Alabama At Birmingham; DUTILH, BAS - Utrecht University; GARCIA, MARIA LAURA - National University Of Laplata; HARRACH, BALZAS - Hungarian Academy Of Sciences; Harrison, Robert - Bob; HENDRICKSON, R. CURTIS - University Of Alabama At Birmingham; JUNGLEN, SANDRA - Institute Of Virology - Charité – Universitätsmedizin; KNOWLES, NICK - The Pirbright Institute; KRUPOVIC, MART - Institut Pasteur - France; KUHN, JENS - Nih, National Institutes Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases; LAMBERT, AMY - Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) - United States; LOBOCKA, MALGORZATA - Polish Academy Of Sciences; NIBERT, MAX - Harvard Medical School; OKSANEN, HANNA - University Of Helsinki; ORTON, RICHARD - University Of Glasgow; ROBERTSON, DAVID - University Of Glasgow; RUBINO, LUISA - National Research Council - Italy; SABANADZOVIC, SEAD - Mississippi State University; SIMMONDS, PETER - University Of Oxford; SMITH, DONALD - University Of Oxford; SUZUKI, NOBUHIRO - Okayama University; VAN DOOERSLAER, KOENRAAD - University Of Arizona; VANDAMME, ANNE-MIEKE - Katholieke University; VARSANI, ARVIND - Arizona State University; ZERBINI, FRANCISCO - Universidade Federal De Viçosa

Submitted to: Archives of Virology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/6/2021
Publication Date: 9/1/2021
Citation: Walker, P.J., Siddell, S.G., Lefkowitz, E.J., Mushegian, A.R., Adriaenssens, E., Alfenas-Zerbini, P., Davison, A.J., Dempsey, D.M., Dutilh, B.E., Garcia, M., Harrach, B., Harrison, R.L., Hendrickson, R., Junglen, S., Knowles, N.J., Krupovic, M., Kuhn, J.H., Lambert, A.J., Lobocka, M., Nibert, M., Oksanen, H.M., Orton, R.J., Robertson, D., Rubino, L., Sabanadzovic, S., Simmonds, P., Smith, D.B., Suzuki, N., Van Dooerslaer, K., Vandamme, A., Varsani, A., Zerbini, F.M. 2021. Changes to virus taxonomy and to the International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (2021). Archives of Virology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-021-05156-1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-021-05156-1

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This article reports the changes to virus taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in March 2021. The entire ICTV was invited to vote on 290 taxonomic proposals approved by the ICTV Executive Committee at its meeting in October 2020, as well as on the proposed revision of the International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature (ICVCN). All proposals and the revision were ratified by an absolute majority of the ICTV members. Of note, ICTV now prospectively mandates a uniform rule for virus species naming, which will follow the binomial 'genus-species' format with or without Latinized species epithets. The Study Groups are requested to convert all previously established species names to the new format by 2023. ICTV has also abolished the notion of a type species, i.e., a species chosen to serve as a 'type member' of a virus genus. The remit of ICTV has been clarified through an official definition of ‘virus’ and several other types of mobile genetic elements. The ICVCN and ICTV Statutes have been amended to reflect these changes.