If I am talking about beta/alpha coronaviruses in general, is it one word or two: e.g. 'beta coronaviruses' or 'betacoronaviruses'? (No italics, correct)?
Would Betacoronavirus only be capitalized when explicitly referring to the genus (i.e. ...the genus Betacoronavirus contains...
When referring to the genus, the correct usage is to capitalize and italicize the name: "...the genus Betacoronavirus.".
For casual reference to the group of viruses, there is no "official" designation of names. In this case, my preference would be a single word: "... betacoronaviruses such as SARS-CoV...".
When referring to the genus, the correct usage is to capitalize and italicize the name: "...the genus Betacoronavirus.".
For casual reference to the group of viruses, there is no "official" designation of names. In this case, my preference would be a single word: "... betacoronaviruses such as SARS-CoV...".
Top Comments
Eduardo,
You are correct. The use of capitalization and italics as indicated in the article above, is meant for official, ICTV-approved taxon names. Proposed, but not yet approved taxon names should be…