What's in a Name? Upgrading Virus Species Nomenclature

Classification and nomenclature of viruses (i.e., virus taxonomy) are regulated by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Nomenclature aims for precise communication, and for that it is essential that names follow standard formats. In virus taxonomy, this is achieved with defined suffixes for each taxonomic rank. However, until recently, there was no standard format for the names of virus species. The use of Latinized (Linnaean) binomials for species names had been an objective of the ICTV since its creation, but for several reasons it had never been implemented. In 2021, after years of discussion and community consultation, the ICTV adopted a binomial format for virus species names, consisting of the genus name followed by a free-form species epithet. After a three-year transition period, all species names have now been converted to binomials. Virus names have not been changed, as they are not regulated by the ICTV.