Additional changes to taxonomy ratified in a special vote by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (October 2018)

Abstract

This article reports the changes to virus taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in October 2018. Of note, the ICTV has approved, by an absolute majority, the creation of additional taxonomical ranks above those recognized previously. A total of 15 ranks (realm, subrealm, kingdom, subkingdom, phylum, subphylum, class, subclass, order, suborder, family, subfamily, genus, subgenus, and species) are now available to encompass the entire spectrum of virus diversity. Classification at ranks above genus is not obligatory but can be used by the authors of new taxonomic proposals when scientific justification is provided.

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Affiliated Institutions

• Centre for Agricultural Research HU
• Medawar Building for Pathogen Research GB
• Harvard University US
• The University of Queensland AU
• Arizona State University US
• Utrecht University NL
• University of Guelph CA
• Division of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences US
• Mississippi State University US
• Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin DE
• Leiden University Medical Center NL
• University of Alabama at Birmingham US
• Universidade Federal de Viçosa BR
• Institute for Veterinary Medical Research HU
• Institut Pasteur FR
• MRC University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research GB
• The Pirbright Institute GB
• University of Oxford GB
• Hungarian Academy of Sciences HU
• University of Bristol GB
• U.S. National Science Foundation US
• North Hertfordshire College GB
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada CA

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