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RNA virus
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<p>An RNA virus is a <a href="/facts/Virus/mf88Bcbl">virus</a> characterized by a ribonucleic acid (<a href="/facts/RNA/HxPeNfNj">RNA</a>) based <a href="/facts/Genome/31Sm08JT">genome</a>. The genome can be <a href="/facts/Single-stranded/o6NWI6ft">single-stranded</a> RNA (<a href="/facts/SsRNA/HxPeNfNj">ssRNA</a>) or double-stranded (<a href="/facts/Double-stranded_RNA/HxPeNfNj">dsRNA</a>). Notable human diseases caused by RNA viruses include <a href="/facts/Influenza/nWuFzh6L">influenza</a>, <a href="/facts/SARS/F5b7XSMS">SARS</a>, <a href="/facts/MERS/ar7VHMaT">MERS</a>, <a href="/facts/COVID-19/YsUgvsaX">COVID-19</a>, <a href="/facts/Dengue_virus/15cVKcHL">Dengue virus</a>, <a href="/facts/Hepatitis_C/kwb7IIht">hepatitis C</a>, <a href="/facts/Hepatitis_E/oxqCNDQH">hepatitis E</a>, <a href="/facts/West_Nile_fever/0TNb43fU">West Nile fever</a>, <a href="/facts/Ebola_virus_disease/9e8kyCVy">Ebola virus disease</a>, <a href="/facts/Rabies/rPDyNHwL">rabies</a>, <a href="/facts/Polio/6dYyXUhE">polio</a>, <a href="/facts/Mumps/t9EQH4K5">mumps</a>, and <a href="/facts/Measles/tepQCUIG">measles</a>. </p><p>All known RNA viruses, that is viruses that use a homologous RNA-dependent polymerase for replication, are categorized by the <a href="/facts/International_Committee_on_Taxonomy_of_Viruses/M71khRCo">International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses</a> (ICTV) into the realm <i><a href="/facts/Riboviria/WBD92F1n">Riboviria</a></i>. This includes RNA viruses belonging to <i>Group III</i>, <i>Group IV</i> or <i>Group V</i> of the <a href="/facts/Virus_classification/oLn3H1Na">Baltimore classification</a> system as well as <i>Group VI. Group VI</i> viruses are <a href="/facts/Retrovirus/GWAx3C3o">retroviruses</a>, viruses with RNA genetic material that use <a href="/facts/DNA/nB89Iauz">DNA</a> intermediates in their <a href="/facts/Viral_life_cycle/uMpuAGUb">life cycle</a> including <a href="/facts/HIV-1/vzeVgtKQ">HIV-1</a> and <a href="/facts/HIV-2/vzeVgtKQ">HIV-2</a> which cause <a href="/facts/AIDS/RqLIEMuJ">AIDS</a>. </p><p>The majority of such RNA viruses fall into the kingdom <i><a href="/facts/Orthornavirae/qG4evU2T">Orthornavirae</a></i> and the rest have a positioning <a href="/facts/Incertae_sedis/kWyo2wYR">not yet defined</a>. The realm does not contain all RNA viruses: <i><a href="/facts/Deltavirus/FDjJkjnX">Deltavirus</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Avsunviroidae/QK6WcEJL">Avsunviroidae</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Pospiviroidae/nP9YXyRa">Pospiviroidae</a></i> are taxa of RNA viruses that were mistakenly included in 2019, but corrected in 2020. </p>