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Classification of papillomaviruses (PVs) based on 189 PV types and proposal of taxonomic amendments

Hans-Ulrich Bernard1, Robert D Burk, Zigui Chen

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Program of Public Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. hbernard@uci.edu <hbernard@uci.edu>

Virology
|March 9, 2010
PubMed

Insights

The Papillomaviridae family classification expands to 29 genera and 189 papillomavirus (PV) types, including human and animal PVs. New nomenclature uses "dyo" prefix for genera beyond the Greek alphabet.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Taxonomy
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • The family Papillomaviridae encompasses a diverse range of viruses infecting various hosts.
  • Existing classification systems require updates to accommodate newly identified papillomavirus (PV) types.
  • Standardization of nomenclature is crucial for clear communication in virology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present an expanded classification of the Papillomaviridae family.
  • To propose standardized nomenclature for animal PVs.
  • To discuss potential future taxonomic revisions based on genomic data.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of existing and newly identified papillomavirus sequences.
  • Application of established taxonomic principles for viral classification.
  • Comparative genomics to assess evolutionary relationships.

Main Results:

  • The Papillomaviridae family now comprises 29 genera and 189 PV types.
  • Human PVs are classified into five genera, while animal PVs are distributed across 24 genera (mammalian, avian, and reptile).
  • A new nomenclature system using the prefix "dyo" is introduced for genera exceeding the Greek alphabet.

Conclusions:

  • The expanded classification provides a comprehensive framework for understanding PV diversity.
  • Standardization of animal PV nomenclature and the establishment of a reference center are recommended.
  • While PV types could be promoted to species level, this is not advised currently due to evolving species concepts.

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