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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

We are very grateful to our ICTV partner journal, Journal of General Virology for making this publication initiative possible, and accessible to all through Open Access. www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

microbiologyresearch.org

Journal of General Virology

Important notice: this title is now Open Access (OA) thanks to our Subscribe to Open (S2O) model. All articles will be published OA between 15th February 2025 to14th February 2026. Check if you a...

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

These summaries will be published annually, and will build into a comprehensive record of virus taxonomy development. This will benefit the virology and wider biology communities and provide publication credit and attribution to the hundreds of virologists to virus taxonomy every year.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Individual proposals within the summaries provide the title, contributing authors, structured abstract summary ans a tabulated list of the taxonomy changes. There is also a weblink to the full proposal text and taxonomic changes indexed on the ICTV website:

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Each year, the ICTV will publish summaries of all taxonomy changes and additions made in the previous year from the seven subcommittees. These are co-authored by all contributors to proposals and provide keywords of all new taxon names searchable on PubMed and other bibliographic databases:

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Very excited to let you know about the ICTV's new publication format for taxonomic changes and developments. These are summaries of all of the ratified changes in virus classification in the previous year summarised in this overview article: www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

microbiologyresearch.org

Virus taxonomy proposal summaries: a searchable and citable resource to disseminate virus taxonomy advances

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 s...

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

These summaries will be published annually after each ratification round. This will create a long-term, accessible and searchable archive of taxonomic developments by the ICTV that will benefit the virology and wider biology communities.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Each individual summary provide the title, author list of proposers, structured abstract and tabulated list of proposed changes. Below the table is a link for the full proposal text and resulting taxonomic changes indexed on the ICTV website.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Each summary lists the taxonomy changes from the seven ICTV virus subcommittees providing a published a permanent citeable record, co-authorship for all those involved in the accepted proposals and full indexing of new taxonomic names in PubMed and other bibliographic databases

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

As mentioned, their policy of progressively removing virus names as in the above examples is particularly unhelpful. Unfortunately, the ICTV cannot ultimately control what they do, other than regularly supply them with the full taxonomy assignment list after each annual ratification vote.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Thanks, yes agreed, and it's really unhelpful that NCBI often do not update their taxonomic terms and worse, that they invent classifications as in your example that are no part of ICTV taxonomy (and never have been).

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

An actual annotation in GenBank looks like this, where the same incorrect term is used. The term "measles morbillivirus" was actually the previous name for the species, but was renamed in 2022 to be compliant with the binomial name standard (genus + species epithet) introduced around that time:

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Yes, that's nuts! The ICTV doesn't have a below-species taxonomic rank, so the statement in the annotation "measles morbillivirus is a below-species classification of Morbillivirus hominis" makes no sense, and certainly does not reflect ICTV taxonomy.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

In both cases, the "organism name" is equated to the species (or scientific) name. In the case of Canis lupus familiaris, a (English-only) common name is placed in parentheses - it would certainly be useful if NCBI also annotated virus names here as well. Ongoing negotiations with them...

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

which is not too dissimilar from an (again entirely random) entry for HCV:

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

The ICTV has no input into how NCBI annotate sequence records, other than to coordinate taxon lists. However, their terminology is not different from that used for other organisms. As an entirely random example, here is the entry for a dog gene:

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Thanks, agree that would be illegitimate as it's generally up to the discoverer of virus to call it what they want. On a separate note, would there be any enthusiasm to sort out the HIV-1 species name and stop it being paraphyletic? Very happy to help coordinate this for this year's round.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Just on that point, The ICTV does not regulate common names. Perhaps you were simply not using the community-agreed name for a particular virus? It would be like the ICZN telling you what to call your dog!

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

You could argue that with Donald Trump as US president, the term "sapiens" has become peculiarly inappropriate for humans and perhaps, like "humanimmunodef", that could be revised at some point. (Oh dear, I think I just got myself banned from entering the US!)

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

For contributors like Eddie and Andrew both individually with brains the size of a planet, I'm astonished that they might entertain the typologically nonsensical idea to make the species epithet equivalent to a common name. It would be like saying "human, an animal in the genus homo".

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

(nor did I, see PMID: 36780432, see Fig. 3) but there is a pathway available to propose changes to name and definitions (see ictv.global/taxonomy/tem...), so why not just go ahead with that, or contact the study group who originally assigned the name and definition (ictv.global/study-groups2)?

ictv.global

Proposal Template Files | ICTV

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

But neither of these are taxonomic terms. Species scientific names are regulated by the relevant taxonomic codes (ICTV, ICZN) and assign the terms Lentivirus humanimmunodef and Homo sapiens. I can understand why you may not like the species assignment for HIV-1 (both in its name and its reference),

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Interesting comments, but unsure why the paper again seems to be misinterpreted. The manuscript explains that a virus name is analogous to a common name in biology, so that HIV-1 (community assigned name with language variants, eg. VIH-1 in French) is equivalent to "human being" in biology,

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Reposted by Peter Simmonds

Elliot Lefkowitz @elliot-bhm.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Join us for an ICTV webinar on how to find information about viruses and virus taxa using the ICTV web site Date: March 11, 2025 Time: 10:00 AM CDT; 15:00 UTC For more information: ictv.global/news/webinar... Register here: uab.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

A lot of speculation and uncertainty about what drives increased C->U transitions, starting with APOBEC3A but unlikely to be the whole story.

C->U transition bias in human SARS-CoV-2 lineages and after transmission into other species

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

Hi, very interesting. just looking quickly at the data, perhaps the increased diversity of SARS-CoV-2 is the result of greater host-driven mutational pressure. Deer show a highly elevated frequency of C->U transitions compared to variants infecting , see: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

No, very much appreciated. I've been trying to get people to understand the difference between a virus and virus species name and this was a good opportunity to make a couple of facetious responses! hope it can across on the right way!

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Perhaps you are misunderstanding. The ICTV would no more try to get engaged with the name of manflu(virus) or indeed HIV-1 , than the ICZN (zoological nomenclature) would try to specify what you called a dog! It would however, point you towards Canis familiaris if you wanted the species name

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

I suppose if you are talking about "manflu" then you're referring to the causative virus, not to the taxon it is assigned. So the virus community can call manflu(virus) what ever it likes 😀 Nothing to do with the ICTV You can of course propose a species name to the ICTV through the standard route.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Early Burns supper tonight, very tasty

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Might be worth ensuring that GLUE doesn't get its terms mixed up!

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

As per your example, Gadget's Gully virus is a member of the species Orthoflavivirus gadgetsense. GGYV is unchanged, only the (binomial species) name has changed by the ICTV for clarity and compatibility with the rest of biology. HIV-1 is a member of the species Lentivirus humindef1

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

a) Virus names are coined by the virology community b) The ICTV has no role in the process of virus naming c) The ICTV regulates the names of the taxa to which viruses are assigned d) You can liken virus names and virus species names to common and scientific names used in other taxonomy codes

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Rob, do take a look at the other very recent threads on BlueSky on this. You are also sharing the misconception that the ICTV is trying to change virus names. They are not. Here is a summary:

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Hi Related to your & the previous post, I looked it up and there are 120 Study Groups (SGs), with collectively more than 900 members. These are expert and typically quite experienced virologists, & should provide a reasonable cross-section of knowledge and expertise. So it's not a mad dictatorship!

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Thanks, yes you're right and sorry to be unclear. I was really alluding to the "monkeypox" element in the name that has been in the species name since 1971 (species formerly called Monkeypox virus - sorry I don't know how to do italics)

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

We encourage those with specific opinions, interests and ideas in taxonomy and biological classification to get involved through the Study Group pathway, or put themselves forward as an elected member of the ICTV Executive Committee (elections every three years).

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

I am fairly sure that the Retroviridae Study Group would be similarly receptive to proposals to rename the species Lentivirus humidef1. The ICTV is not a sinister cult or private organisation. Hundreds of virologists are involved in the 80+ Study Groups that contribute to taxonomy development.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Finally, it is entirely possible and indeed encouraged for members of the virology community to independently submit formal proposals to the ICTV for changes of this sort. The forms and instructions are here: ictv.global/taxonomy/tem...

ictv.global

Proposal Template Files | ICTV

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

and suggest a taxonomy proposal for the 2025 taxonomy round for a change to the species name. Steph or others might alternatively propose to join the Study Group and become involved in taxonomy decisions for that family.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

The species name Orthopoxvirus monkeypox was assigned several years ago before the move towards a less stigmatising name of its associated disease. Steph or any other virologist have several options to change the name. Firstly, they can approach the Study Group ictv.global/study-groups...

ictv.global

ICTV Study Groups | ICTV

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

“Why change MPXV to Orthopoxvirus monkeypox” is based on a false premise. As described above, MPXV is the community assigned name of the virus that is not within the ICTVs remit. The ICTV would play no role in a collective decision to start using an alternative, less loaded designation such as mpoxV

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

I am fairly sure that the Retroviridae Study Group would be similarly receptive to proposals to rename the species Lentivirus humidef1. The ICTV is not a sinister cult or elitist private organisation. 100s of virologists are involved in 80+ Study Groups that contribute to taxonomy development.

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

ictv.global

Proposal Template Files | ICTV

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

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Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

The species name Orthopoxvirus monkeypox was assigned before the move towards a less stigmatising name of its associated disease. Steph or any other member of the virus community have several options to change the name. Firstly, they can approach the Study Group ictv.global/study-groups...

ictv.global

ICTV Study Groups | ICTV

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