Anelloviruses are small negative-sense single-stranded DNA viruses with genomes ranging in size from 1.6 to 3.9 kb. The family Anelloviridae comprised 14 genera before the present changes. However, in the last five years, a large number of diverse anelloviruses have been identified in various organisms. Here, we undertake a global analysis of mammalian anelloviruses whose full genome sequences have been determined and have an intact open reading frame 1 (ORF1). We established new criteria for the classification of anelloviruses, and, based on our analyses, we establish new genera and species to accommodate the unclassified anelloviruses. We also note that based on the updated species demarcation criteria, some previously assigned species (n = 10) merge with other species. Given the rate at which virus sequence data are accumulating, and with the identification of diverse anelloviruses, we acknowledge that the taxonomy will have to be dynamic and continuously evolve to accommodate new members.

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden

Department of Medicine and Surgery University of Insubria 21100 Varèse Italy

Division of Virology Department of Infection and Immunity Jichi Medical University School of Medicine 3311 1 Yakushiji Shimotsuke shi Tochigi 329 0498 Japan

Equipe Biologie des Groupes Sanguins UMR 7268 ADES Aix Marseille Université CNRS EFS 27 Bd Jean Moulin 13005 Marseille France

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Veterinary Sciences Brno Palackeho 1946 612 42 Brno Czech Republic

Structural Biology Research Unit Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town 7925 South Africa

The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics Center for Evolution and Medicine School of Life Sciences Arizona State University 1001 S McAllister Ave Tempe AZ 85287 5001 USA

The Roslin Institute and R SVS University of Edinburgh Easter Bush Midlothian Scotland EH25 9RG UK

Veterinary Medical Research Institute Hungária krt 21 1143 Budapest Hungary

WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine 20359 Hamburg Germany

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Anelloviridae taxonomy update 2023