Section 3
Classifying Viruses
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Version 6
By Boundless
By Boundless
Boundless Microbiology
Microbiology
by Boundless
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The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) establishes guidelines to maintain viral family uniformity.
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The Baltimore Virus Classification
The Baltimore classification groups viruses into families depending on their type of genome.
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Evolution of Viruses
The evolution of viruses is speculative as they do not fossilize; biochemical and genetic information is used to create virus histories.
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Medical Importance of Viruses
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that hijack a host cell's machinery to replicate, thereby causing disease.