Table 1.
Classification of viruses which are targets of antiviral drugs. ss Single-stranded, ds double-stranded, CNS central nervous system
| Virus family | Genome | Diseases/syndromes | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picornaviridae | Polyprotein strategy | ||
| Rhinoviruses (∼100) | ssRNA(+) 7–8.5 kb | Common cold | |
| Enteroviruses (64) | CNS, rash etc | Vaccines for polio 1-3 | |
| Flaviridae | Polyprotein, envelope | ||
| Flaviruses (∼30) | ssRNA(+) 10–12 kb | CNS | Arthropod vectors |
| Dengue 1-4 | Hemorrhagic fever | >50 million cases/year | |
| West Nile | CNS | Emerging in America | |
| Hepatitis C | Chronic hepatitis | >150 million carriers | |
| Coronaviridae | Polyprotein, envelope, subgenomic mRNAs | ||
| Coronavirus (3) | ssRNA(+) 27–31 kb | Respiratory | |
| SARS-CoV | SARS | Emerging virus | |
| Orthomyxoviridae | Envelope, nuclear replication | ||
| Influenza A | ssRNA(−) 10–15 kb, segmented | Respiratory | Pandemics, vaccines available |
| Influenza B | Respiratory | Epidemics, vaccines available | |
| Influenza C | Respiratory | Milder infections | |
| Paramyxoviridae | Envelope, mRNA/each protein | ||
| RSV | ssRNA(−) 10–15 kb | Respiratory | |
| Filoviridae | Envelope, paramyxo-like | ||
| Marburg-like | ssRNA(−) 19 kb | Severe systemic infection | Emerging, fatal infections |
| Ebola-like | Hemorrhagic fever | Mortality 50–90% | |
| Bunyaviridae | Envelope, G1 & G2 from polyprotein | ||
| Hantavirus | ssRNA(−) 12–23 kb, segmented | Hemorrhagic fever, renal & pulmonary syndromes | |
| Herpesviridae | Envelope, complex biogenesis | ||
| HSV 1, 2 | dsDNA 120–220 kb | Skin eruptions, CNS etc | Person to person, neonatal infections, typically latent infections with occasional activation |
| VZV | Varicella & herpes-zoster | ||
| CMV | Mononucleosis, congenital | ||
| Poxviridae | Envelope, complex biogenesis | ||
| Smallpox | dsDNA 130–375 kb | Severe systemic infection | Eradication completed in 1979, putative bioterrorist weapon |
| Retroviridae | Envelope, reverse transcription | ||
| HIV-1 | ssRNA(+) 7–10 kb, reverse transcription | Chronic infection with immunodeficiency, AIDS | World-wide, fatal infection |