Arenavirus is a genus of virus. The type species is Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV); it also includes the species responsible for Lassa fever. Viruses can be classified in several ways, such as by their geometry, by whether they have envelopes, by the identity of the host organism they can infect, by mode of transmission, or by the type of disease they cause. ... An RNA virus is a virus that either uses RNA as its genetic material, or whose genetic material passes through an RNA intermediate during replication. ... Three types of viruses: a bacterial virus, otherwise called a bacteriophage (left center); an animal virus (top right); and a retrovirus (bottom right). ... Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), is a rodent-borne viral infectious disease that presents as aseptic meningitis, encephalitis or meningoencephalitis. ... Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever first described in 1969 in the Nigerian town of Lassa in the Yedseram River valley. ...

Arenaviruses can be divided into two serogroups, which differ genetically and by geographical distribution:

• LCMV-Lassa virus (Old World) complex:
  • Ippy virus
  • Lassa virus
  • Lymphocytic choriomeningitits virus
  • Mobala virus
  • Mopeia virus

• Tacaribe virus (New World) complex:
  • Amapari virus
  • Flexal virus
  • Guanarito virus
  • Junin virus
  • Latino virus
  • Machupo virus
  • Oliveros virus
  • Paraná virus
  • Pichinde virus
  • Pirital virus
  • Sabiá virus
  • Tacaribe virus
  • Tamiami virus
  • Whitewater Arroyo virus

Some arenaviruses are zoonotic pathogens and are generally associated with rodent-transmitted disease in humans. Each virus usually is associated with a particular rodent host species in which it is maintained. The virus particles are spherical and have an average diameter of 110-130 nanometers. All are enveloped in a lipid membrane. Viewed in cross-section, they show grainy particles that are ribosomes acquired from their host cells. It is this characteristic that gave them their name, derived from the Latin "arena," which means "sandy." Their genome, or genetic material, is composed of RNA only, and while their replication strategy is not completely understood, we know that new viral particles, called virions, are created by budding from the surface of their hosts’ cells Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever first described in 1969 in the Nigerian town of Lassa in the Yedseram River valley. ... Species Guanarito virus Venezualan hemorrhagic fever (VHF) is a zoonotic human illness, first identified in 1989, causing fever and malaise followed by hemorrhagic manifestations and convulsions. ... Species Machupo virus Bolivian Haemorrhagic Fever (Machupo), more commonly known as Black Typhus, was first identified in 1959. ... Zoonosis is any infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals, both wild and domestic, to humans. ... Families Many, see text The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... A nanometre (American spelling: nanometer) is 1. ... Figure 1: Structure of a Lipid. ... Figure 1: Ribosome structure indicating small subunit (A) and large subunit (B). ... In biology the genome of an organism is the whole hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in the DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA). ... Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a nucleic acid consisting of a string of covalently-bound nucleotides. ... A common alternate meaning of virus is computer virus. ...