Reoviruses

Reovirales is an order of double-stranded RNA viruses. Member viruses, called reoviruses, have a wide host range, including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, protists and fungi. They lack lipid envelopes and package their segmented genome within multi-layered capsids. Lack of a lipid envelope has allowed three-dimensional structures of these large complex viruses (diameter ~60–100 nm) to be obtained, revealing a structural and likely evolutionary relationship to the cystovirus family of bacteriophage. Reoviruses can affect the gastrointestinal system (such as rotaviruses) and respiratory tra