REOVIRUS

any of a group of ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses constituting the family Reoviridae, a small group of animal and plant viruses. The virions of reoviruses (the name is a shortening of respiratory enteric orphan viruses) lack an outer envelope, appear spheroidal, measure about 70 nanometres (nm; 1 nm = 10-9 metre) across, have two icosahedral capsids, and contain a core of segmented, double-stranded RNA. Characteristic features of structure, preferred hosts, and chemistry are the basis for dividing reoviruses into several genera, of which Orthoreovirus, Orbivirus, Rotavirus, and Phytoreovirus are among the best known. Although orthoviruses have been found in the respiratory and enteric tracts of animals, they are not generally pathogenic in adults. Some orbiviruses cause disease in mammals (for example, blue-tongue disease in sheep); rotaviruses have been implicated in infective infantile diarrhea; and phytoreoviruses can destroy rice, corn, and other crops.