An Introduction to the Bunyaviruses

The bunyaviruses are an ever-expanding group of RNA viruses that have been linked to a variety of different diseases around the world. First characterized nearly a century ago, over 500 different types of bunyaviruses have been characterized thus far, with hosts ranging from mammals to plants to single-celled organisms. As many of the currently described bunyaviruses have been found to be vector-borne, with transmission being mediated by either insects or rodents, these viruses have incorporated immune-evasive molecules into their relatively small genome. As these viruses have been implicated in a number of public health threats, there is an increased interest in performing experiments that could improve our understanding of these infectious agents. Therefore, the objectives of this book are outlined in this chapter, with a variety of techniques being described for the study of a variety of different bunyaviruses.