Reoviruses: General Features

Mammalian reoviruses (MRVs) belong to the genus Orthoreovirus of the family Reoviridae . They are ubiquitous and infect a broad variety of mammals. MRV infection of humans is common and the majority of humans will develop anti-MRV serum antibodies by late childhood. As the acronym ‘reo’ (respiratory enteric orphan) suggests, human MRV cause either asymptomatic or mild infections of the upper respiratory or intestinal tracts. However, there are rare reports of an association between MRV and more severe human infections, including central nervous system (CNS) disease, extrahepatic biliary atresia, keratoconjunctivitis, and pneumonia.