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Caliciviruses
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025
Caliciviruses were first isolated from animals in 1932 and were found in the feces of children suffering from acute gastroenteritis in 1976. They are now classified as a separate family, Caliciviridae.
The virions are spherical and 37 nm in diameter, with no supercapsid. The genome is represented by positive single-stranded RNA with a molecular weight of about 2.6-2.8 MD. Negative-contrast microscopy reveals 32 deep (about 10 nm) cup-shaped depressions on the surface of the virions, which is why they were named caliciviruses (from the Greek calyx - cup). Caliciviruses do not reproduce in cell cultures, which makes them difficult to detect. Immune electron microscopy is mainly used for diagnostics.
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