Virus taxonomy: the database of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV)

This article lists the changes to virus taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in April 2016.Changes to virus taxonomy (the Universal Scheme of Virus Classification of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses [ICTV]) now take place annually and are the result of a multi-stage process. In accordance with the ICTV Statutes (http://www.ictvonline.org/statutes.asp), proposals submitted to the ICTV Executive Committee (EC) undergo a review process that involves input from the ICTV Study Groups (SGs) and Subcommittees (SCs), other interested virologists, and the EC. After final approval by the EC, proposals are then presented for ratification to the full ICTV membership by publication on an ICTV web site (http://www.ictvonline.org/) followed by an electronic vote. The latest set of proposals approved by the EC was made available on the ICTV website by January 2016 (https://talk.ictvonline.org/files/proposals/). A list of these proposals was then emailed on 28 March 2016 to the 148 members of ICTV, namely the EC Members, Life Members, ICTV Subcommittee Members (including the SG chairs) and ICTV National Representatives. Members were then requested to vote on whether to ratify the taxonomic proposals (voting closed on 29 April 2016).

Virus taxonomy can be defined as the arranging of viruses into related clusters, identification of the extent of relatedness within and among these clusters, and the naming of the clusters (= taxa). The first internationally organized initiative for the naming and classification of animal, plant and microbial viruses was the formation of the International Committee on Nomenclature of Viruses in 1966. This was renamed the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in 1973 and has since produced seven reports reviewing the state of virus taxonomy, the latest of which was published recently (Van Regenmortel et al., 2000). This brief review describes the current classification of plant viruses, outlines the principles used in virus classification and their application, and highlights the taxa created since the previous ICTV Report (Murphy et al., 1995) was published. Most plant viruses are classified in 649 species, most of which are classified among 73 genera. Forty-nine genera are classified among 15 families; the remaining 24 genera have not been assigned to a family. Some species are recognized as members of a family but have not been assigned to a particular genus; 15 other recognized distinct species of uncertain taxonomic status, designated Unassigned Species, have yet to be assigned to a genus or family. The current classification is shown in Table 1, which also shows the classification of viroids (7 genera in 2 families). As in the 7th ICTV Report (van Regenmortel et al., 2000), the families and genera are arranged according to their genome types (ssDNA, dsRNA, etc.), although this grouping has no taxonomic status. A complete listing of plant virus and viroid species then recognized, together with their recommended abbreviations, has been published in Fauquet and Mayo (1999). The main guiding principles in devising a taxonomy for viruses have been discussed in Mayo and Pringle (1998). They are: stability—that is that once decided, names and relationships should remain unaltered for as long as possible, thereby facilitating reference to older literature. Unlike other biological taxonomies, that for viruses has no Rule of Priority. That this system has functioned well is possibly due to the relatively few virus species (currently 1550 of all types) that have been described. utility—that is, the scheme of taxonomic relationships should be found to be useful by the wider virology community. To this end, ICTV decisions are taken in consultation with, and usually at the prompting of, study groups of interested virologists. Utility is usually the result of a prior demand for taxonomic order. It can be assessed by the compliance of working virologists. acceptability—that is, working virologists should be happy to use the names and taxonomic relationships listed. All decisions are susceptible to modification by succeeding taxonomic proposals. Unacceptable names and taxa are eliminated in this way. flexibility—that is that the taxonomy is amenable to revision and reassessment in the light of new discoveries. Newly recognized viruses are constantly being described, as are novel details in the genetic structures of known viruses. A useful taxonomy and nomenclature must therefore adapt to new information. The ICTV is a committee of the Virology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS), which represents the interests of member microbiological societies. ICTV comprises national members nominated by countries with microbiological societies affiliated to IUMS, life members elected by ICTV, and the elected members of the Executive Committee (EC). Decisions of ICTV are made at plenary sessions of the International Virology Congresses (convened every 3 years) and by postal voting. Statutes define the constitution of ICTV, its mode of operation and how it is constituted. The current version of the Statutes is published in the 7th ICTV Report (Van Regenmortel et al., 2000). The ICTV is advised by its EC, which consists of elected officials among whom are the chairs of subcommittees that represent the major fields of virology. The Plant Virus Subcommittee has at present 21 study groups, each of which is concerned with a particular taxon or group of taxa. The groups make proposals for changes to taxonomy within their fields of interest to accommodate new information as it emerges. Proposals approved by the subcommittees are considered by the EC and, if approved, are presented to the ICTV for ratification. Proposals from outside the ICTV structure are normally referred to the appropriate study group for discussion, or failing this, to the appropriate subcommittee. The Executive Committee of the ICTV has developed an International Code of Nomenclature based on ad hoc rules (Mayo and Horzinek, 1998; Van Regenmortel et al., 2000). These present the modus operandi of the ICTV and are the justification for the decisions of the executive committee and its subcommittees. Many of the rules contained in the code are self-evident. Others, however, have been devised in response to pressures from the virology community for guidance, or even pleas for consistency, in decision-making. Some issues that have provoked comment recently are: The rules state that a new name should be distinctive (Rule 3.14), easy to remember (Rule 3.12), be free of association with any individual's name (Rule 3.11), and avoid absurdity or offence in any language (Rule 3.19). Also, names should not convey particular meaning such that some members of the taxon would seem not to belong in it (Rule 3.18). Unlike the names of species in all other biological disciplines, those of virus species are not latinized. Thus species names have no gender. The names of genera must end in '-virus' and the names of families must end in '-viridae'. Because taxa have been named in the past under less well developed rules, some in the current list have names that are in contravention of current practice. However, in the interests of the stability of nomenclature, few have been altered. All taxon names (including those of species) are written in italic script and have a capital initial letter for the first name. However, in vernacular usage the name is not used formally and italic script is not necessary. Thus, the potyvirus Tobacco etch virus is classified in genus Potyvirus and family Potyviridae. Collective names such as 'potyviruses' and 'nepoviruses' are never italicised. How the ICTV decides that particular virus isolates belong to one or another species, or are strains within a single species, has been a contentious issue (Van Regenmortel et al., 1997). The basis for decisions is the definition of a virus species that has been accepted by ICTV. It is: 'A virus species is a polythetic class of viruses that contitutes a replicating lineage and occupies a particular ecological niche' (Van Regenmortel, 1990). The current ICTV Report (Van Regenmortel et al., 2000) lists the criteria used to differentiate distinct species from virus strains. It is important to emphasize that the criteria used for demarcating species in different families can, and sometimes do, differ. This is both because families can be intrinsically different and because the criteria used are determined by virologists in different study groups. In Table 1, the taxa that were not in the previous ICTV Report (Murphy et al., 1995) are marked in bold text. The most striking novelties are that retrotransposons found in plants are now classified in two genera in two families (Pseudoviridae and Metaviridae) and that viroids have been classified in seven genera distributed among two families. The latest report also contains three new plant virus families (Luteoviridae, Caulimoviridae and Closteroviridae), 26 new genera and three renamed genera in family Geminiviridae (Mastrevirus, Curtovirus and Begomovirus). M.A.M. and A.A.B. are, respectively, Secretary of the ICTV Executive Committee and Chair of the Plant Virus Subcommittee; M.A.M. is supported by funding from the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department, and A.A.B. by Horticulture Research International.

Following discussions at the Executive Committee meeting of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in Edinburgh, UK, in July 2013, it was agreed to propose changes to the Statutes to allow the appointment of a third Secretary, with particular responsibility for virus data. These changes have now been formally adopted, following approval by the ICTV voting membership (in a ballot conducted by e-mail) and by IUMS Virology Division, as required by the Statutes. The composition of the Executive Committee of ICTV consists of (I) the Officers of ICTV, namely President, Vice-President and Secretaries, (II) the Chairs of the six Executive Committee Subcommittees and (III) eight elected Members. Until now one of the Subcommittees has been responsible for virus data, but this historic arrangement no longer best serves current needs. In particular, it does not provide sufficient continuity for managing the internet web site (http://www.ictvonline.org) and the related discussion site (http://talk.ictvonline.org/) that now support all ICTV operations. These web sites (1) provide the latest virus taxonomy to the public in accessible form; (2) are essential for submission and management of taxonomic proposals under discussion (providing opportunity for public comment); (3) act as an archive for all past taxonomic decisions; and (4) act as the public face of ICTV with information about its organization and membership, as well as listing and acknowledging the participation of the many specialist members of the various Study Groups. Most importantly for the future, it is now intended that the ICTV Report will be prepared and presented in an online format managed by ICTV itself. Because of the importance of all these activities, ICTV has decided that it would be best to assign the day-to-day management of all these activities to a specific ICTV Secretary, a position that will have a 6-year term that is renewable for a second term. The two existing Secretaries remain responsible for the processing and tracking of taxonomic proposals and for the administration of ICTV business. Six Subcommittees are being retained to help manage the increasing volume of taxonomic proposals, but their remits will change. Three Subcommittees will now share responsibility for viruses of vertebrates and invertebrates, divided according to their genome types (DNA, ssRNAand ssRNA?). The other three Subcommittees are not affected by these changes; they will continue to be responsible for (1) viruses of plants, (2) viruses of fungi, algae and protists, and (3) viruses of prokaryotes and archaea. These changes in the composition of the ICTV Executive Committee will be implemented by appointments to be made at the ICTV plenary session at the International Congress of Virology in Montreal, Canada, in July 2014. As a result, the size of the Executive Committee will increase from 18 to 19 members. The changes made to the Statutes in 2014 are: Section 4.2 (final sentence): the statement ‘and that one subcommittee is responsible for virus data’ is omitted. Section 4.3 (B) begins ‘Three ...’ rather than ‘Two ...’ Section 9.3 (Duties of the Secretaries): two subsections have been added:

The taxonomy of viruses is developed and overseen by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), which scrutinizes, approves and ratifies taxonomic proposals, and maintains a list of virus taxa with approved names (https://ictv.global). The ICTV has approximately 180 members who vote by simple majority. Taxon-specific Study Groups established by the ICTV have a combined membership of over 600 scientists from the wider virology community; they provide comprehensive expertise across the range of known viruses and are major contributors to the creation and evaluation of taxonomic proposals. Proposals can be submitted by anyone and will be considered by the ICTV irrespective of Study Group support. Thus, virus taxonomy is developed from within the virology community and realized by a democratic decision-making process. The ICTV upholds the distinction between a virus or replicating genetic element as a physical entity and the taxon category to which it is assigned. This is reflected by the nomenclature of the virus species taxon, which is now mandated by the ICTV to be in a binomial format (genus + species epithet) and is typographically distinct from the names of viruses. Classification of viruses below the rank of species (such as, genotypes or strains) is not within the remit of the ICTV. This article, authored by the ICTV Executive Committee, explains the principles of virus taxonomy and the organization, function, processes and resources of the ICTV, with the aim of encouraging greater understanding and interaction among the wider virology community.

This chapter discusses about taxonomy and classification of viruses. For viruses, the process of comparative analysis plays a critical role in increasing our overall knowledge of the molecular biology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, and evolution of poorly understood or newly isolated viruses. This knowledge enhances our ability to respond to new threats by supporting the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and other antiviral therapies. In fact, it is likely that viruses have multiple independent evolutionary origins that cannot be easily or completely separated from the evolution of their hosts, as they cannot reproduce or evolve separately from their hosts. Therefore, viruses might be better represented as individual twigs arising from branches spread throughout the rest of the tree. In addition to distinct evolutionary histories, viruses differ from other domains of life in the variety of possible coding molecules they utilize to store their genetic programs. For viruses, the Virology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies has charged the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) with the task of developing, refining, and maintaining a universal viral taxonomy. As categorized according to the 2009 ICTV taxonomy, viruses that infect humans fall into 4 orders: the Herpesvirales, Mononegavirales, Nidovirales, and Picornavirales. The ICTV produces an extensive amount of information during the process of classifying and naming viruses that is published regularly in the ICTV reports.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) is tasked with classifying viruses into taxa (phyla to species) and devising taxon names. Virus names and virus name abbreviations are currently not within the ICTV's official remit and are not regulated by an official entity. Many scientists, medical/veterinary professionals, and regulatory agencies do not address evolutionary questions nor are they concerned with the hierarchical organization of the viral world, and therefore, have limited use for ICTV-devised taxa. Instead, these professionals look to the ICTV as an expert point source that provides the most current taxonomic affiliations of viruses of interests to facilitate document writing. These needs are currently unmet as an ICTV-supported, easily searchable database that includes all published virus names and abbreviations linked to their taxa is not available. In addition, in stark contrast to other biological taxonomic frameworks, virus taxonomy currently permits individual species to have several members. Consequently, confusion emerges among those who are not aware of the difference between taxa and viruses, and because certain well-known viruses cannot be located in ICTV publications or be linked to their species. In addition, the number of duplicate names and abbreviations has increased dramatically in the literature. To solve this conundrum, the ICTV could mandate listing all viruses of established species and all reported unclassified viruses in forthcoming online ICTV Reports and create a searchable webpage using this information. The International Union of Microbiology Societies could also consider changing the mandate of the ICTV to include the nomenclature of all viruses in addition to taxon considerations. With such a mandate expansion, official virus names and virus name abbreviations could be catalogued and virus nomenclature could be standardized. As a result, the ICTV would become an even more useful resource for all stakeholders in virology.

The 56th meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) was held in Bari, Italy, in July/August, 2024, and 115 submitted taxonomy proposals were reviewed. A total of 112 were subsequently ratified by the ICTV membership. An additional 9 error correction proposals were also approved in August 2025. This article lists the taxonomy proposals that have now been incorporated into release 40 version v2 of the Master Species List (https://ictv.global/msl), the Virus Metadata Resource (https://ictv.global/vmr), and associated ICTV databases. In addition to the assignments of 1,563 new virus species, 243genera, 55 families, 11 orders, and 8 classes, there were substantial additions to higher taxonomic ranks. These include the creation of a new realm (Singelaviria), which is based on the recognition of a separate evolutionary origin for the hallmark capsid genes of members of the kingdom Helvetiavirae. These express capsid proteins forming a single jelly-roll fold that is structurally and evolutionarily distinct from those of members of the family Bamfordvirae, assigned to the realm Varidnaviria. Furthermore, the realm Varidnaviria underwent a major reorganization, including the addition of a new kingdom, Abadenavirae. Another notable change was the classification of the vertebrate-infecting single-stranded DNA anellovirids into a new phylum Commensaviricota (kingdom Shotokuvirae, realm Monodnaviria). Archaeal viruses infecting the hyperthermophilic Archaeoglobi were assigned to a new phylum Calorviricota, in the kingdom Trapavirae (realm Monodnaviria), whereas RNA viruses infecting hyperthermophilic bacteria were classified into a new phylum Artimaviricota (realm Riboviria). In recognition of his extensive and valuable contributions to virus taxonomic developments in Study Groups and over the period of his EC membership, Stuart Siddell was honoured as a new life member of the ICTV. The ICTV has created a new strategy for disseminating information on taxonomy advances through annual open-access publication of citeable taxonomy proposal summaries from each ICTV Subcommittee. A collective total of 354 co-authors of the seven summaries were drawn from members of each Subcommittee, the EC, and a very large number of contributors from the wider virology community.

An erratum of this article has been published full details can be found at 10.1099/jgv.0.002144The Fungal and Protist Viruses Subcommittee (SC) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) has received a total of eight taxonomic proposals for the 2024 annual cycle. The extent of proposed changes varied, including nomenclatural updates, creation of new taxa and reorganization of established taxa. Following the ICTV procedures, all proposals were reviewed and voted upon by the members of the Executive Committee with ratification in March 2025. As a result, a total of 52 species in the families Botourmiaviridae and Marnaviridae were renamed to comply with the mandated binomial format. A new genus has been added to the dsRNA virus family Amalgaviridae, while two new families, Splipalmiviridae (Wolframvirales) and Mycoalphaviridae (Hepelivirales), were created to classify new groups of positive-sense (+) RNA mycoviruses. The class Arfiviricetes (Cressdnaviricota) was expanded by a new order Lineavirales and a new family Oomyviridae of ssDNA viruses. Additionally, a new class Orpoviricetes was created in the kingdom Orthornavirae to classify a group of bisegmented (+)RNA viruses reported from fungi and oomycetes. Finally, the order Pimascovirales was reorganized to better depict evolutionary relationships of pithoviruses and related viruses with large dsDNA genomes. The summary of updates in the taxonomy of fungal and protist viruses presented here is limited to taxa within the remit of this Subcommittee. For information on taxonomy changes on other fungal viruses closely related to animal and/or plant viruses, please see reports from sister ICTV Subcommittees (i.e. Plant Virus SC and Animal dsRNA and ssRNA(−) Viruses SC).

This chapter discusses about taxonomy and classification of viruses. For viruses, the process of comparative analysis plays a critical role in increasing our overall knowledge of the molecular biology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, and evolution of poorly understood or newly isolated viruses. This knowledge enhances our ability to respond to new threats by supporting the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and other antiviral therapies. In fact, it is likely that viruses have multiple independent evolutionary origins that cannot be easily or completely separated from the evolution of their hosts, as they cannot reproduce or evolve separately from their hosts. Therefore, viruses might be better represented as individual twigs arising from branches spread throughout the rest of the tree. In addition to distinct evolutionary histories, viruses differ from other domains of life in the variety of possible coding molecules they utilize to store their genetic programs. For viruses, the Virology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies has charged the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) with the task of developing, refining, and maintaining a universal viral taxonomy. As categorized according to the 2009 ICTV taxonomy, viruses that infect humans fall into 4 orders: the Herpesvirales, Mononegavirales, Nidovirales, and Picornavirales. The ICTV produces an extensive amount of information during the process of classifying and naming viruses that is published regularly in the ICTV reports.

Taxonomic classification of cellular organisms requires the publication of descriptions and proposed names of species and the deposition of specimens. Virus taxonomy is developed through a different system of annual submission of formal taxonomy proposals (TPs) that can be submitted by anyone but are typically prepared by a study group appointed by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and consisting of experts on a particular group of viruses. These are initially evaluated by an expert subcommittee and by the executive committee (EC) of the ICTV. EC-approved TPs are then submitted for evaluation and a ratification vote by the wider ICTV membership. Following ratification, the new taxonomy is annually updated in the Master Species List, associated databases and bioinformatic resources. The process is consistent, creates traceability in assignments and supports a fully evaluated, hierarchical classification and nomenclature of all taxonomic ranks from species to realms. The structure also facilitates large-scale and coordinated changes to virus taxonomy, such as the recent introduction of a binomial species nomenclature.TPs are available on the ICTV website after ratification, but they are not indexed in bibliographic databases and are not easily cited. Authors of TPs do not receive citation credit for adopted proposals, and their voluntary contributions are largely invisible in the published literature. For greater visibility of TPs and their authors, the ICTV will commence the annual publication of summaries of all TPs from each ICTV subcommittee. These summaries will provide a searchable compendium of all annual taxonomy changes and additions as well as direct links to the Master Species List and other ICTV bioinformatic resources. Their publication will provide due credit and citations for their authors, form the basis for disseminating taxonomy decisions and promote greater visibility and accessibility to taxonomy changes for the virology community.

This article reports the changes to virus taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in March 2021. The entire ICTV was invited to vote on 290 taxonomic proposals approved by the ICTV Executive Committee at its meeting in October 2020, as well as on the proposed revision of the International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature (ICVCN). All proposals and the revision were ratified by an absolute majority of the ICTV members. Of note, ICTV mandated a uniform rule for virus species naming, which will follow the binomial 'genus-species' format with or without Latinized species epithets. The Study Groups are requested to convert all previously established species names to the new format. ICTV has also abolished the notion of a type species, i.e., a species chosen to serve as a name-bearing type of a virus genus. The remit of ICTV has been clarified through an official definition of 'virus' and several other types of mobile genetic elements. The ICVCN and ICTV Statutes have been amended to reflect these changes.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) is responsible for approving changes to the taxonomy of viruses. These changes arise from proposals made to the ICTV, usually by one of its 101 Study Groups, each of which is responsible for a particular virus family or families. The result of this international, voluntary effort is a searchable and structured list of current virus taxonomy that can be accessed on the ICTV website (www.ictv.global). The website also makes available the virus metadata resource (VMR), a spreadsheet with exemplar isolates and GenBank accession numbers for members of each species, as well as the ICTV Report which provides more detail about the taxonomy, structure and biology of each virus family. The online publication mode allows taxonomic changes and relevant research findings to be quickly reflected in the Report, and also means that the sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees, upon which taxonomic decisions often depend, are available as resources for all to use. A two-page summary of each Report chapter is published as an Open Access article by the Journal of General Virology as a Virus Taxonomy Profile. It remains a challenge to make these freely available resources comprehensive because of the pace of taxonomic change; over the last decade the number of virus families has almost doubled from 87 to 168. In meeting this challenge the ICTV will continue to rely on the enthusiasm, expertise and efforts of virologists from around the world.

Microorganisms that cannot be grown in the laboratory can now be tentatively identified, by cloning and sequencing particular nucleic acid segments and then carrying out a comparative sequence analysis with an appropriate database. For bacteria, a few universally distributed genes and gene products have enabled comparative sequence analysis to be used for tentative identification and classification of uncultured bacteria. For viruses, there is no universally distributed viral gene or gene product. However, in a few cases, viruses that could not be propagated in the laboratory have been identified and classified. In these cases, either the entire viral genome sequence was determined or partial sequence information was supplemented with additional data. The Executive Committee of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) has reviewed the issue of identification and classification of viruses that have not been propagated. Under the ICTV system, formal review of any taxonomic proposal is carried out by the relevant ICTV Subcommittee or Study Group. The few examples of unpropagated viruses that have arisen thus far have been readily accommodated within existing viral taxonomy, with the international group of experts comprising each Subcommittee and Study Group determining the necessary and sufficient amount of information needed for classification of an unpropagated virus on a case-by-case basis.

Properties useful for defining virus species are phenotypic properties of viruses that can be altered by a few mutations. Such properties include the natural host range, cell and tissue tropism, symptomatology, pathogenicity and mode of transmission. All these properties are not necessarily present in identical form in all the members of a species; therefore, a virus species is a polythetic class of viruses defined by a variable combination of several properties rather than by a single conserved property present in all the members of the species. This review will discuss current controversies about what virus species actually are as well as which names should be given to them. It will be emphasized that most species-defining properties are so-called relational properties that arise because viruses necessarily interact with biological partners such as vectors, hosts and immune systems. Although these relational properties are of utmost importance to laboratory and clinical virologists, they remain unknown if only the viral genome is available and the relational partners of the virus have not yet been identified. Since the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in 2013 ratified a new definition of virus species, which no longer accepts that species are polythetic classes but instead are monophyletic groups, the implications of this new definition for viral taxonomy and nomenclature will be analyzed. In my private capacity, I also make the following recommendations regarding current debates on proposed new names for virus species as well as on the feasibility of assigning viral sequences found in metagenomic databases to individual species taxa in the current ICTV classification. 1) The ICTV should abandon the current rule that the names of virus species (for instance Measles virus) should differ from the virus name (measles virus) only by typography. 2) Non-Latinized binomial species names based on familiar virus and genus names should become the norm. This would obviate the need to create about 5000 hard-to-memorize Latinized species names. 3) Virus species are defined not by the intrinsic properties of virions and viral genomes but by the relational properties of viruses that arise from their interactions with host and vector partners. Since the hosts and vectors associated with nearly all viral sequences found in metagenomic databases are unknown, the phenotypic properties of the putative viruses also remain unknown, and these viral sequences cannot be allocated to established species in the ICTV classification.

This article reports the changes to virus classification and taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in March 2020. The entire ICTV was invited to vote on 206 taxonomic proposals approved by the ICTV Executive Committee at its meeting in July 2019, as well as on the proposed revision of the ICTV Statutes. All proposals and the revision of the Statutes were approved by an absolute majority of the ICTV voting membership. Of note, ICTV has approved a proposal that extends the previously established realm Riboviria to encompass nearly all RNA viruses and reverse-transcribing viruses, and approved three separate proposals to establish three realms for viruses with DNA genomes.