Quaranjavirus

Quaranjavirus is a genus of enveloped RNA viruses, one of seven genera in the virus family Orthomyxoviridae. The genome is single-stranded, negative-sense segmented RNA, generally with six segments. The genus contains six species. Quaranjaviruses predominantly infect arthropods and birds; Quaranfil quaranjavirus is the only member of the genus to have been shown to infect humans. The Quaranfil and Johnston Atoll viruses are transmitted between vertebrates by ticks, resembling members of Thogotovirus, another genus of Orthomyxoviridae.

==History== Quaranfil virus was first isolated from humans in Egypt in 1953. Johnston Atoll virus and Lake Chad virus were first isolated from birds in 1964 and 1969, respectively. In 1989, based on the appearance of the virus particles under the electron microscope, H.G. Zeller and colleagues suggested that they should be classified as arenaviruses, but this was not accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). In 2009, based on sequence data and the structure of the virus particles, Rachel Presti and colleagues suggested that the three viruses should be classified as a new genus of orthomyxoviruses, originally named "Quarjavirus". Multiple other viruses have subsequently been suggested as genus members. The genus was formally proposed to the ICTV in 2012, under the name '"Quaranjavirus", and formally approved by that body in 2013.