RNA virus

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An RNA virus is a virus characterized by a ribonucleic acid (RNA) based genome.^[1] The genome can be single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) or double-stranded (dsRNA).^[2] Notable human diseases caused by RNA viruses include influenza, SARS, MERS, COVID-19, Dengue virus, hepatitis C, hepatitis E, West Nile fever, Ebola virus disease, rabies, polio, mumps, and measles.

All known RNA viruses, that is viruses that use a homologous RNA-dependent polymerase for replication, are categorized by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) into the realm Riboviria.^[3] This includes RNA viruses belonging to Group III, Group IV or Group V of the Baltimore classification system as well as Group VI. Group VI viruses are retroviruses, viruses with RNA genetic material that use DNA intermediates in their life cycle including HIV-1 and HIV-2 which cause AIDS.

The majority of such RNA viruses fall into the kingdom Orthornavirae and the rest have a positioning not yet defined.^[4] The realm does not contain all RNA viruses: Deltavirus, Avsunviroidae, and Pospiviroidae are taxa of RNA viruses that were mistakenly included in 2019,^[a] but corrected in 2020.^[5]

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