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Article Dans Une Revue PLoS Biology Année : 2023

Four principles to establish a universal virus taxonomy

Peter Simmonds
Poliane Alfenas-Zerbini
  • Fonction : Auteur
Jakub Barylski
  • Fonction : Auteur
Christian Drosten
  • Fonction : Auteur
W. Paul Duprex
  • Fonction : Auteur
Santiago F Elena
  • Fonction : Auteur
Maria Laura García
  • Fonction : Auteur
Aris Katzourakis
  • Fonction : Auteur
Mart Krupovic
Jens H Kuhn
  • Fonction : Auteur
Amy J Lambert
  • Fonction : Auteur
Elliot J Lefkowitz
  • Fonction : Auteur
Małgorzata Łobocka
  • Fonction : Auteur
Cédric Lood
  • Fonction : Auteur
Jan P Meier-Kolthoff
  • Fonction : Auteur
Arcady R Mushegian
  • Fonction : Auteur
Hanna M Oksanen
  • Fonction : Auteur
Minna M Poranen
  • Fonction : Auteur
Alejandro Reyes-Muñoz
  • Fonction : Auteur
Stuart Siddell
  • Fonction : Auteur
Tim Skern
  • Fonction : Auteur
Donald B Smith
  • Fonction : Auteur
Matthew B Sullivan
  • Fonction : Auteur
Koenraad van Doorslaer
  • Fonction : Auteur

Résumé

A universal taxonomy of viruses is essential for a comprehensive view of the virus world and for communicating the complicated evolutionary relationships among viruses. However, there are major differences in the conceptualisation and approaches to virus classification and nomenclature among virologists, clinicians, agronomists, and other interested parties. Here, we provide recommendations to guide the construction of a coherent and comprehensive virus taxonomy, based on expert scientific consensus. Firstly, assignments of viruses should be congruent with the best attainable reconstruction of their evolutionary histories, i.e., taxa should be monophyletic. This fundamental principle for classification of viruses is currently included in the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) code only for the rank of species. Secondly, phenotypic and ecological properties of viruses may inform, but not override, evolutionary relatedness in the placement of ranks. Thirdly, alternative classifications that consider phenotypic attributes, such as being vector-borne (e.g., “arboviruses”), infecting a certain type of host (e.g., “mycoviruses,” “bacteriophages”) or displaying specific pathogenicity (e.g., “human immunodeficiency viruses”), may serve important clinical and regulatory purposes but often create polyphyletic categories that do not reflect evolutionary relationships. Nevertheless, such classifications ought to be maintained if they serve the needs of specific communities or play a practical clinical or regulatory role. However, they should not be considered or called taxonomies. Finally, while an evolution-based framework enables viruses discovered by metagenomics to be incorporated into the ICTV taxonomy, there are essential requirements for quality control of the sequence data used for these assignments. Combined, these four principles will enable future development and expansion of virus taxonomy as the true evolutionary diversity of viruses becomes apparent.
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Origine : Publication financée par une institution
Licence : CC0 - Transfert dans le Domaine Public

Dates et versions

pasteur-03988048 , version 1 (14-02-2023)

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CC0 - Transfert dans le Domaine Public

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Peter Simmonds, Evelien M Adriaenssens, F. Murilo Zerbini, Nicola G A Abrescia, Pakorn Aiewsakun, et al.. Four principles to establish a universal virus taxonomy. PLoS Biology, 2023, 21 (2), pp.e3001922. ⟨10.1371/journal.pbio.3001922⟩. ⟨pasteur-03988048⟩

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