Glossary of virology

This glossary of virology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in the study of virology, particularly in the description of viruses and their actions.

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A

animal virus

Any virus capable of infecting one or more animal species.

antigenic drift

antigenic shift

antiviral drug

A class of antimicrobial medication used specifically for treating diseases caused by

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rather than ones caused by bacteria or other infectious agents. Unlike most antibiotics, antivirals typically do not destroy their target viruses but instead inhibit their development. They are distinct from 

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.

assembly

The construction of the virus within the

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cell, using the host's metabolism.

attachment

B

bacteriophage

Any

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that infects and replicates within bacteria or archaea.

Baltimore classification

base pair (bp)

C

cap

cap snatching

capsid

The outer shell of protein that encloses and protects the genetic material of a virus.

capsomere

A subunit of the viral

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which self-assembles with other capsomeres to form the capsid.

co-option

coinfection

complex

cytopathic effect

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D

dalton (Da)

A unit of length frequently used to describe the size of a virus or viral particle.

DNA virus

A type of

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that has DNA as its genetic material and replicates using a DNA-dependent DNA polymerase. In the 

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system, DNA viruses belong to either Group I (

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) or Group II (

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);

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also have a DNA genome, but are classified separately because they replicate through an RNA intermediate.

dsDNA virus

dsDNA-RT virus

dsRNA virus

E

ecovirology

emergent virus

endogenous viral element (EVE)

entry

enveloped

G

giant virus

A very large virus, especially one of the so-called nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs), which have extremely large genomes compared to the average virus and contain many unique genes not found in other organisms. Some of these viruses are larger than a typical bacterium.

Global Virus Network (GVN)

group-specific antigen

H

helical

helper dependent virus

helper virus

host

host tropism

The specificity with which certain pathogens, including most viruses, infect particular

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and host tissues. Host tropism results in most pathogens being capable of infecting only a limited range of host organisms.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

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I

icosahedral

Having the symmetry of an icosahedron.

inclusion body

integrase (IN)

intrinsic immunity

K

kilobase (kb)

One kilobase is equal to 1000

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.

L

latency

1.  The ability of a pathogenic virus to lie dormant or latent within a cell for a period of time before reactivating and producing new, independent

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.

2.  The phase in the life cycle of certain viruses in which, after initial infection, proliferation of virus particles ceases while the viral genome remains silently assimilated into the host cell's genome, sometimes indefinitely. The latent period ends when the virus reactivates and begins producing large amounts of viral progeny without the host cell being infected by additional external virions. Latency is a defining element of the

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form of viral replication.

live virus reference strain (LVRS)

lysogenic cycle

lytic cycle

M

maturation

molecular virology

multiplicity of infection (MOI)

mycovirus

Any virus capable of infecting one or more species of fungi.

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N

nanometer (nm)

A unit of length frequently used to describe the size of a virus or viral particle. One nanometer is equal to 10⁻⁹ meter.

negative-sense ssRNA virus

neurotropic virus

neurovirology

novel virus

nucleocapsid

nucleotide

O

oncovirus

original antigenic sin

orphan virus

P

paleovirology

parasite

passenger virus

A virus that is frequently found in samples from diseased tissue, such as tumors, but does not contribute to causing the disease.

penetration

phenotype mixing

plant virus

Any virus capable of infecting one or more plant species.

positive-sense ssRNA virus

prolate

prophage

provirus

pseudotyping

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Q

Q-number

R

reassortment

recombinant virus

release

rep

An abbreviation for replication protein.

replication

Any of the various processes by which a virus reproduces.

retrovirus

reverse transcriptase

RNA interference

RNA virus

rolling circle replication

S

satellite

sense

serial passage

slow virus

Any virus or

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that is etiologically associated with a so-called slow virus disease: a disease which, after an extended period of 

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, follows a slow, progressive course ranging from months to years before in most cases inevitably progressing to death.

ssDNA virus

ssRNA-RT virus

strain

subviral agent

superinfection

synthetic virology

T

T-number

temperate

tissue tropism

transduction

triangulation number

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U

uncoating

V

virological failure

virologic failure occurs when antiviral therapy (ART, nucloes(t)ide analogs, etc.) fails to suppress and sustain a person's viral load under a predetermined threshold.

viral culture

viral disease

Any disease that occurs when an organism's body is invaded by infectious

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of one or more pathogenic 

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which attach to, enter, and 

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susceptible cells.

viral dynamics

viral envelope

A lipid casing present in some viruses which surrounds the

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and helps to penetrate the 

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's cell wall.

viral load

viral matrix

viral particle

See

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.

viral plaque

viral protein

viral shedding

viral transformation

viral vector

viremia

virion

A singular, stable particle that is the independent form in which a

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exists while not inside an infected cell or in the process of infecting a cell. Virions are the products of a completed viral replication cycle; upon release from the infected cell, they are fully capable of infecting other cells of the same type.

viroid

viroinformatics

virokine

virology

The study of

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and virus-like agents, which seeks to understand and explain their structure, classification, evolution, and mechanisms of infection, as well as the 

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they cause, techniques to isolate and 

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them, and their use in research and 

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. Virology is often considered a subfield of microbiology or of medical science.

virome

viropexis

virophage

viroplasm

virotherapy

virucide

virulence

virus

A submicroscopic infectious agent that

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only inside the living cells of other organisms. As obligate intracellular 

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, viruses must infect cellular

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in order to complete their life cycles, which they achieve by 

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or "hijacking" the host cell's molecular machinery for their own reproduction. While not inside an infected cell or in the process of infecting a cell, viruses exist in the form of independent 

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. Most virions are exceedingly simple in structure and physically minute, averaging just ​¹⁄_1/100

the size of the typical bacterium. Viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth and infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms such as bacteria and archaea.

virus attachment protein

Any protein which helps to facilitate the

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of a virus to a receptor on a host cell.

virus counter

virus-like particle

virusoid

Z

zygotic induction

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See also

• Glossary of biology
• Glossary of genetics
• Glossary of scientific naming
• Introduction to viruses
• List of viruses