Baltimore classification

The Baltimore classification (pronounced: bɔːl.tɪ.mɔːr klæsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) is a system used to categorize viruses based on their manner of mRNA synthesis. The system was developed by Nobel Prize-winning biologist David Baltimore.

Etymology

The Baltimore classification is named after David Baltimore, an American biologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1975 for his work on the interaction between viruses and the genetic material of the cell.

Classification

The Baltimore classification system divides viruses into seven groups:

Group I: Double-stranded DNA viruses
Group II: Single-stranded DNA viruses
Group III: Double-stranded RNA viruses
Group IV: Single-stranded RNA viruses
Group V: Single-stranded RNA viruses that replicate through a DNA intermediate
Group VI: Single-stranded RNA retroviruses that replicate through a DNA intermediate
Group VII: Double-stranded DNA viruses that replicate through an RNA intermediate

Each group has unique characteristics and includes different types of viruses.

Related Terms

Virus: A small infectious agent that can only replicate inside the living cells of an organism.
mRNA: Messenger RNA, a type of RNA that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome.
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that carries most of the genetic instructions used in the development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses.
RNA: Ribonucleic acid, a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.
Retrovirus: A type of RNA virus that inserts a copy of its genome into the DNA of a host cell that it invades, thus changing the genome of that cell.

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Baltimore classification

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