''Chloriridovirus'' is a genus of

viruses A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...

, in the family ''

Iridoviridae ''Iridoviridae'' is a family of viruses with double-stranded DNA genomes. Amphibians, fish, and invertebrates such as arthropods serve as natural hosts. There are currently 22 species in this family, divided among two subfamilies and seven gener ...

''.

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

with aquatic larval stage, mainly

mosquitoes Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...

lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

, and

orthoptera Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grassho ...

insects serve as natural hosts. There are five species in this genus. Diseases associated with this genus include: yellow-green iridescence beneath the epidermis (early mosquito larval stages are most susceptible to infection). Death rates are highest in the fourth

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

. Viruses within this genus have been found to infect

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

larvae, in which they produce various

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfl ...

colors.

Taxonomy

The genus contains the following species: * '' Anopheles minimus iridovirus'' * '' Invertebrate iridescent virus 3'' * '' Invertebrate iridescent virus 9'' * '' Invertebrate iridescent virus 22'' * '' Invertebrate iridescent virus 25''

Structure

Viruses in the genus ''Chloriridovirus'' are enveloped, with icosahedral and polyhedral geometries, and T=189-217 symmetry. The diameter is around 180 nm. Genomes are linear, around 135kb in length. The genome codes for 126 proteins.

Life cycle

Viral replication is nucleo-cytoplasmic. Entry into the host cell is achieved by attachment of the viral proteins to host receptors, which mediates endocytosis. Replication follows the DNA strand displacement model. DNA-templated transcription is the method of transcription. Diptera with aquatic larval stage, mainly mosquitoes, lepidoptera, and orthoptera insects serve as the natural host.

References

External links

ICTV Online (10th) Report: ''Iridoviridae''

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18347422 Iridoviridae Virus genera