Encyclopedia of virology - Fourth edition
Résumé
This article discusses invertebrate iridoviruses, focusing primarily on describing molecular studies on genome organization, gene expression strategies, virion proteins, and relatedness of the Insect Iridoviruses (IIVs), using the best-studied virus, IIV-6, formerly known as Chilo iridescent virus as the primary model. Understanding the ways invertebrate viruses interact with their hosts may facilitate the identification of virulence factors in related pathogens that need extensive biosecurity measures. Further, due to the sub-lethal phenotypes associated with invertebrate iridoviral infection, invertebrate iridoviruses may serve as models for understanding pathogenesis and for safer and easier development of novel methodological approaches.