Plant virologists have taken the initiative in the development of a standardized system of abbreviation of virus names in response to the particular problems associated with the naming of plant viruses . There is now a compelling case for extending these efforts to embrace all viruses irrespective of their host organisms. Increasing awareness of the diversity of viruses and greater reliance on storage of information in electronic databases call for standardization of abbreviations to avoid ambiguity. The accurate recovery of information from databases is dependent on the existence of unique abbreviations for virus names. For example, the species name Hepatitis C virus is often abbreviated to HCV in the titles of papers and currently approximately 20% of the publications in the Medline database can only be accessed using the abbreviation rather than the virus name. Fortunately in this case there is no significant overlap. In other cases there can be confusion. For example, the abbreviation RSV is not unique and a database search will recover papers on Rous sarcoma virus, Rice stripe virus, Human respiratory syncytial virus and Bovine respiratory syncytial virus. In its 7th Report the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) has recommended the use of RSV for Rous sarcoma virus on grounds of historical priority, and HuRSV and BRSV for human and bovine respiratory syncytial viruses respectively. Although the overlap with Rice stripe virus remains unresolveds in practice it causes little confusion.
However, it woutd be better if the overlap did not exist.
There are now some 4,000 virus names listed by the ICTV and without some conventions it will become increasingly difficult to devise unique abbreviations for every virus. This list of receoomended abbreviations for vertebrate virus species names is being published as a reference document to diminish the risk of duplication when new abbreviations are proposed.
Although the ICTV is responsible for controlling, approving and recording the names of virus taxa and has a formal International Code that guides this activity, it has no constitutional responsibilitv for assigning abbreviations. Nonetheless it does assign a recommended abbreviation for every virus name. It is obviously a desirable aim that a standard abbreviation should be used for any particular virus in all publications.
Three of the four principles governing the assignment of abbreviations to plant viruses are also applicable to viruses infecting other organisms. These principles are the following: