Reoviridae
From MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource
Baltimore Classification
Higher order taxa
Viruses; dsRNA viruses; Reoviridae
Genera
Orthoreovirus, Orbivirus, Rotavirus, Coltivirus, Aquareovirus, Seadornavirus, Cypovirus, Idnoreovirus, Fijivirus, Phytoreovirus, Oryzavirus, Mycoreovirus
Description and Significance
Reoviruses, or Respiratory Enteric Orphan viruses, infect invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. In vertebrates, reoviruses cause infections of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. Rotaviruses, part of the Reovirus family, are a major cause of infant deaths in the developing world, killing over 800,000 children under the age of 2 each year. Originally, reoviruses were classified as echoviruses, in the family Picornaviridae.