16.1 Principles of virus nomenclature

Followings are the principles of virus nomenclature set by ICTV

 

•  It aims to provide stability, avoid confusion, and to avoid creation of unnecessary names.

•  It is independent of any other biological nomenclature.

•  The basic unit of classification is TAXON .

•  A taxon should be officially approved by the ICTV committee.

 

The universal virus nomenclature should follow a hierarchical level of Order, Family, Subfamily, Genus, and Species.

 

Table 16.1 Current status of virus taxonomy: