In April 2024, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was expanded by 1 new order, 1 new family, 6 new subfamilies, 34 new genera and 270 new species. One class, two orders and six species were renamed. Seven families and 12 genera were moved; ten species were renamed and moved; and nine species were abolished. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as currently accepted by the ICTV, providing an essential annual update on the classification of members of this phylum that deepen understandings of their evolution, and supports critical public health measures for virus identification and tracking.

Explainable AI (XAI) is an important developing area but remains relatively understudied for clustering. We propose an explainable-by-design clustering approach that not only finds clusters but also exemplars to explain each cluster. The use of exemplars for understanding is supported by the exemplar-based school of concept definition in psychology. We show that finding a small set of exemplars to explain even a single cluster is computationally intractable; hence, the overall problem is challenging. We develop an approximation algorithm that provides provable performance guarantees with respect to clustering quality as well as the number of exemplars used. This basic algorithm explains all the instances in every cluster whilst another approximation algorithm uses a bounded number of exemplars to allow simpler explanations and provably covers a large fraction of all the instances. Experimental results show that our work is useful in domains involving difficult to understand deep embeddings of images and text.

In April 2023, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was amended and emended. The phylum was expanded by one new family, 14 new genera, and 140 new species. Two genera and 538 species were renamed. One species was moved, and four were abolished. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as now accepted by the ICTV.

The Rhabdoviridae is a large family of negative-sense (-) RNA viruses that includes important pathogens of ray-finned fish and marine mammals. As for all viruses, the taxonomic assignment of rhabdoviruses occurs through a process implemented by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). A recent revision of taxonomy conducted in conjunction with the ICTV Rhabdoviridae Study Group has resulted in the establishment of three new subfamilies (Alpharhabdovirinae, Betarhabdovirinae, and Gammarhabdovirinae) within the Rhabdoviridae, as well as three new genera (Cetarhavirus, Siniperhavirus, and Scophrhavirus) and seven new species for viruses infecting fish or marine mammals. All rhabdovirus species have also now been named or renamed to comply with the binomial format adopted by the ICTV in 2021, comprising the genus name followed by a species epithet. Phylogenetic analyses of L protein (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) sequences of (-) RNA viruses indicate that members of the genus Novirhabdovirus (subfamily Gammarhabdovirinae) do not cluster within the Rhabdoviridae, suggesting the need for a review of their current classification.

Following the results of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Ratification Vote held in March 2021, a standard two-part "binomial nomenclature" is now the norm for naming virus species. Adoption of the new nomenclature is still in its infancy; thus, it is timely to reiterate the distinction between "virus" and "virus species" and to provide guidelines for naming and writing them correctly.

This article reports the changes to virus taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in March 2022. The entire ICTV was invited to vote on 174 taxonomic proposals approved by the ICTV Executive Committee at its annual meeting in July 2021. All proposals were ratified by an absolute majority of the ICTV members. Of note, the Study Groups have started to implement the new rule for uniform virus species naming that became effective in 2021 and mandates the binomial 'Genus_name species_epithet' format with or without Latinization. As a result of this ratification, the names of 6,481 virus species (more than 60 percent of all species names currently recognized by ICTV) now follow this format.

Objective The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if military service members with histories of hundreds to thousands of low-level blast exposures (i. e., experienced breachers) had different levels of serum and neuronal-derived extracellular vesicle (EV) concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), compared to matched controls, and if these biomarkers related to neurobehavioral symptoms. Methods Participants were experienced breachers (n = 20) and matched controls without blast exposures (n = 14). Neuronal-derived EVs were isolated from serum and identified with mouse anti-human CD171. Serum and neuronal-derived EVs were analyzed for IL-6, IL-10, and TNFα using an ultra-sensitive assay. Results Serum TNFα concentrations were decreased in breachers when compared to control concentrations (p < 0.01). There were no differences in serum concentrations of IL-6, IL-10, or the IL-6/IL-10 ratio between breachers and controls (p's > 0.01). In neuronal-derived EVs, TNFα and IL-6 levels were increased in breachers compared to controls (p's < 0.01), and IL-10 levels were decreased in the breacher group compared to controls (p < 0.01). In breachers the IL-6/IL-10 ratio in neuronal-derived EVs was higher compared to controls, which correlated with higher total Rivermead Post-concussion Questionnaire (RPQ) scores (p's < 0.05). Conclusions These findings suggest that exposure of personnel to high numbers of low-level blast over a career may result in enduring central inflammation that is associated with chronic neurological symptoms. The data also suggest that peripheral markers of inflammation are not necessarily adequate surrogates for central neuroinflammation.

In March 2022, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was amended and emended. The phylum was expanded by two new families (bunyaviral Discoviridae and Tulasviridae), 41 new genera, and 98 new species. Three hundred forty-nine species were renamed and/or moved. The accidentally misspelled names of seven species were corrected. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as now accepted by the ICTV.

Following the emerging bluetongue virus transmission in European temperate regions, we question the vector competence of the abundant Culicoides austropalpalis Lee and Reye in South-East temperate Australia. Field collected Culicoides midges were membrane fed with a bluetongue virus serotype 1 (BTV-1). The average feeding rate was 50%. After 13 days, survival rate was 25% and virus RNA presence was checked by quantitative PCR targeting viral genome segment 10. Virus RNA was found in 7.4% of individually tested females with relative viral RNA load values lower than freshly fed females, indicating that viral replication was low or null. A second qPCR targeting viral genome segment 1 confirmed the presence of virus RNA in only four out of 29 previously positive specimens. After 10 days culture on Culicoides cells, none of these four confimed positive samples did show subsequent cytopathogenic effect on Vero cells or BTV antigen detection by ELISA. As control for this virus activity detection, 12 days after microinjection of BTV-1, Culex annulirostris mosquitoes showed, after culture on Kc cells, cytopathogenic effect on Vero cells, with ELISA-confirmed infection. Despite its abundance in farm environment of the temperate Australian regions, the results of this study make C. austropalpalis of unlikely epidemiological importance in the transmission of BTV in Australia.

In March 2021, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was amended and emended. The phylum was expanded by four families (Aliusviridae, Crepuscuviridae, Myriaviridae, and Natareviridae), three subfamilies (Alpharhabdovirinae, Betarhabdovirinae, and Gammarhabdovirinae), 42 genera, and 200 species. Thirty-nine species were renamed and/or moved and seven species were abolished. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as now accepted by the ICTV.

This article reports the changes to virus taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in March 2021. The entire ICTV was invited to vote on 290 taxonomic proposals approved by the ICTV Executive Committee at its meeting in October 2020, as well as on the proposed revision of the International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature (ICVCN). All proposals and the revision were ratified by an absolute majority of the ICTV members. Of note, ICTV mandated a uniform rule for virus species naming, which will follow the binomial 'genus-species' format with or without Latinized species epithets. The Study Groups are requested to convert all previously established species names to the new format. ICTV has also abolished the notion of a type species, i.e., a species chosen to serve as a name-bearing type of a virus genus. The remit of ICTV has been clarified through an official definition of 'virus' and several other types of mobile genetic elements. The ICVCN and ICTV Statutes have been amended to reflect these changes.

Certain Culicoides species (biting midges) are important vectors globally of a range of viruses, protozoa and filarial parasites, imposing a significant economic and health burden. In a changing climate, understanding which Culicoides species occur in a region is important for biosecurity risk management. We examined the occurrence of predominant Culicoides species in south‐east Australia and provide insight into five Culicoides victoriae morpho‐variants. Culicoides were surveyed using Centre for Disease Control light traps and Yellow Sticky traps, with identification performed morphologically and molecularly. Two polymerase chain reaction – restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) assays based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I were developed to differentiate morphologically similar C. victoriae, with a subset sequenced for nuclear carbomoylphosphate synthase. The structure of the five C. victoriae morpho‐variants was investigated through phylogenetic trees, haplotype networks and the Barcode Index Number system (BINs) in the Barcode of Life Data (BOLD) database. Twenty‐five different Culicoides species were identified in the sampled region with Culicoides austropalpalis, C. victoriae, C. marksi and C. molestus Gp sp No 2 being the most common. Two PCR‐RFLP assays were developed using either one or three enzymes, with a 90% or 99% success rate, respectively, of being able to differentiate the five C. victoriae morpho‐variants. Mitochondrial and nuclear sequence divergence supported by wing patterning allowed the recognition of multiple potentially new species of C. victoriae and identified species in uncharacterised regions.

Background: Blast exposure is a potential hazard in modern military operations and training, especially for some military occupations. Helmets, peripheral armor, hearing protection, and eye protection worn by military personnel provide some acute protection from blast effects but may not fully protect personnel against cumulative effects of repeated blast overpressure waves experienced over a career. The current study aimed to characterize the long-term outcomes of repeated exposure to primary blast overpressure in experienced career operators with an emphasis on the assessment of hearing and vestibular outcomes. Methods: Participants included experienced "breachers" (military and law enforcement explosives professionals who gain entry into structures through controlled detonation of charges) and similarly aged and experienced "non-breachers" (non-breaching military and law enforcement personnel). Responses to a clinical interview and performance on audiological and vestibular testing were compared. Results: Hearing loss, ringing in the ears, irritability, and sensitivity to light or noise were more common among breachers than non-breachers. Breachers reported more combat exposure than non-breachers, and subsequently, memory loss and difficulty concentrating were associated with both breaching and combat exposure. Vestibular and ocular motor outcomes were not different between breachers and non-breachers. Conclusion: Hearing-related, irritability, and sensitivity outcomes are associated with a career in breaching. Future studies examining long-term effects of blast exposure should take measures to control for combat exposure.

With the rapid development of computer software and hardware technologies, more and more healthcare data are becoming readily available from clinical institutions, patients, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical industries, among others. This access provides an unprecedented opportunity for data science technologies to derive data-driven insights and improve the quality of care delivery. Healthcare data, however, are usually fragmented and private making it difficult to generate robust results across populations. For example, different hospitals own the electronic health records (EHR) of different patient populations and these records are difficult to share across hospitals because of their sensitive nature. This creates a big barrier for developing effective analytical approaches that are generalizable, which need diverse, "big data." Federated learning, a mechanism of training a shared global model with a central server while keeping all the sensitive data in local institutions where the data belong, provides great promise to connect the fragmented healthcare data sources with privacy-preservation. The goal of this survey is to provide a review for federated learning technologies, particularly within the biomedical space. In particular, we summarize the general solutions to the statistical challenges, system challenges, and privacy issues in federated learning, and point out the implications and potentials in healthcare.

In March 2020, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was amended and emended. At the genus rank, 20 new genera were added, two were deleted, one was moved, and three were renamed. At the species rank, 160 species were added, four were deleted, ten were moved and renamed, and 30 species were renamed. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as now accepted by the ICTV.

This article reports the changes to virus classification and taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in March 2020. The entire ICTV was invited to vote on 206 taxonomic proposals approved by the ICTV Executive Committee at its meeting in July 2019, as well as on the proposed revision of the ICTV Statutes. All proposals and the revision of the Statutes were approved by an absolute majority of the ICTV voting membership. Of note, ICTV has approved a proposal that extends the previously established realm Riboviria to encompass nearly all RNA viruses and reverse-transcribing viruses, and approved three separate proposals to establish three realms for viruses with DNA genomes.

This report describes and characterizes a novel entomobirnavirus, designated Port Bolivar virus (PTBV), that was isolated from a pool of Aedes sollicitans mosquitoes collected in a saltwater marsh in East Texas, USA. Full genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses indicate that PTBV is distinct but genetically related to Drosophila X virus and mosquito X virus, which are assigned to species in the genus Entomobirnavirus, family Birnaviridae. PTBV produced cytopathic effect (CPE) in cultures of mosquito (C6/36) cells, but not in Vero cell cultures. Ultrastructural studies of PTBV in infected C6/36 cells demonstrated unenveloped virus particles about 55 nm in diameter.

In March 2020, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylumNegarnaviricotawas amended and emended. At the genus rank, 20 new genera were added, two were deleted, one was moved, and three were renamed. At the species rank, 160 species were added, four were deleted, ten were moved and renamed, and 30 species were renamed. This article presents the updated taxonomy ofNegarnaviricotaas now accepted by the ICTV.

The article Binomial nomenclature for virus species: a consultation, written by Stuart G. Siddell, Peter J. Walker, Elliot J. Lefkowitz, Arcady R. Mushegian, Bas E. Dutilh.

Bovine ephemeral fever is a vector-borne disease of ruminants that occurs in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. The disease is caused by a rhabdovirus, bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV), which occurs as a single serotype globally. Although several other closely related ephemeroviruses have been isolated from cattle and/or arthropods, only kotonkan virus from Nigeria and (tentatively) Mavingoni virus from Mayotte Island in the Indian Ocean have been previously associated with febrile disease. Here, we report the isolation of a novel virus (Hayes Yard virus; HYV) from blood collected in February 2000 from a bull ( Bos indicus ) in the Northern Territory of Australia. The animal was suffering from a severe ephemeral fever-like illness with neurological involvement, including recumbency and paralysis, and was euthanised. Histological examination of spinal cord and lung tissue identified extensive haemorrhage in the dura mata with moderate perineuronal oedema and extensive emphysema. HYV displayed cone-shaped morphology, typical of rhabdoviruses, and was found to be most closely related antigenically to Puchong virus (PUCV), isolated in 1965 from mosquitoes in Malaysia. Analysis of complete genome sequences of HYV (15 025 nt) and PUCV (14 932 nt) indicated that each has a complex organisation (3′ N-P-M-G-G NS -α1-α2-β-γ-L 5′) and expression strategy, similar to that of BEFV. Based on an alignment of complete L protein sequences, HYV and PUCV cluster with other rhabdoviruses in the genus Ephemerovirus and appear to represent two new species. Neutralising antibody to HYV was also detected in a retrospective survey of cattle sera collected in the Northern Territory.