Iridoviruses
Trevor Williams and Vernon K. Ward
from: Insect Virology (Edited by: Sassan Asgari and Karyn N. Johnson). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2010)
Abstract
Invertebrate iridescent viruses (IIVs) of the family Iridoviridae are icosahedral dsDNA viruses with large circularly permuted and terminally redundant genomes that infect a number of agricultural pests, medically important insect vectors and terrestrial isopods that live in damp or aquatic habitats. IIVs currently figure among the most neglected groups of entomopathogenic viruses, although they present a number of unusual and intriguing aspects in their physical properties, replication strategies and host-virus interactions. We present an overview of this group of viruses with emphasis on recent advances and on-going lines of research focussing on the current classification and progress in understanding the structure of IIV virions. We then outline the genomic characteristics and replication process followed by a brief description of their pathology and the ecological factors that determine the distribution and abundance of these viruses. Finally, we summarize future lines for research and identify potential novel applications in biotechnology and materials science read more ...
