Rhabdoviruses

Rhabdoviruses are a significant family of infective viruses, belonging to the order Mononegavirales. They are composed of a single-stranded, negative-sense, non-segmented RNA genome surrounded by a bullet shaped protein capsid. These viruses are known to cause diseases in humans, animals and plants. They have diverse clinical implications, ranging from life-threatening illnesses like rabies to asymptomatic infections of plants. The proteins encoded by their RNA genome can be used as potential therapeutic agents to treat cancer and other diseases. Rhabdovirus also has applications in biotechnology and genetic engineering, as vectors for delivering genes into target cells. With advancements in molecular biology, research has been done on the structure, genetics, pathogenesis and epidemiology of these viruses, leading to a better understanding of how they cause diseases.