From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A RNA virus is a virus that either uses RNA as its genetic material, or whose genetic material passes through an RNA intermediate during replication. For example, Hepatitis B virus is classified as an RNA virus, even though its genome is double-stranded DNA, because the genome is transcribed into RNA during replication. The basis for this classification is error-prone RNA replication: All RNA viruses have very high mutation rates, while DNA viruses have considerably lower mutation rates. See also retroviruses.
Some RNA viruses:
- Arenaviridae
- Bunyaviridae
- Flaviviridae: Yellow fever - Hepatitis C&G
- Orthomyxoviridae: Influenza
- Paramyxoviridae: Mumps
- Picornaviridae: Polio
- Reoviridae
- Retroviridae
- Rhabdoviridae: Rabies - Vesicular stomatitis virus
- Togaviridae
- Filoviridae: Ebola
