Rhabdoviridae

The Rhabdoviridae are a family of viruses in the order Mononegavirales. Vertebrates (including mammals and humans), invertebrates, and plants serve as natural hosts. Currently, 18 genera are recognised. Diseases associated with viruses of this family include rabies encephalitis caused by rabies virus, and vesicular diseases and encephalitis flu-like symptoms in humans caused by vesiculoviruses. The name is derived from the Greek rhabdos, meaning rod, referring to the shape of the viral particles. Rhabdovirions are enveloped, with bullet-shaped and bacilliform geometries. These virions are about 75 nm wide and 180 nm long.Rhabdoviruses have helical nucleocapsids and their genomes are linear, around 11–15 kb in length. Rhabdoviruses carry their genetic material in the form of negative-sense single-stranded RNA. They typically carry genes for five proteins: large protein (L), glycoprotein (G), nucleoprotein (N), phosphoprotein (P), and matrix protein (M). Rhabdoviruses that infect vertebrates (especially mammals and fishes), plants, and insects are usually bullet-shaped. However, in contrast to paramyxoviruses, rhabdoviruses do not have hemagglutinating and neuraminidase activities.