Human Coronavirus-OC43

Hi Jila,

In 2008 (please see ICTV codes: 2008.98V; 2008.100V; 2008.121V) in the Revision 2008.085-126V, HCoV-OC43 and other species were united as a single species called Betacoronavirus 1.

2008.98V

"To assign the following as species in the new genus (Betacoronavirus, in 2008.097V): Betacoronavirus 1 (new) (comprised of existing species BCoV, HCoV-OC43, ECoV, HECoV, PHEV and of canine respiratory coronavirus, CrCoV)".

2008.100V

"A new species, Betacoronavirus 1, is proposed to accommodate previously established Betacoronavirus species of humans, cattle, swine and horses (Human enteric coronavirus; Human coronavirus OC43; Bovine coronavirus; Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus; Equine coronavirus) and a newly recognized virus of dogs (canine respiratory coronavirus; Erles et al., 2007)".

2008.121V

To remove (abolish) the following taxa:

"Species Human enteric coronavirus; Human coronavirus OC43; Bovine coronavirus; Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus; Equine coronavirus (these are to be united in a new species Betacoronavirus 1 in a new genus Betacoronavirus)".

So, since 2009 HCoV-OC43 is part of the species Betacoronavirus 1.

In the current release, you can see the HCoV-OC43 as:

Riboviria > Nidovirales > Cornidovirineae > Coronaviridae > Orthocoronavirinae > Betacoronavirus > Embecovirus > Betacoronavirus 1

All the best,

Eduardo.

Thank-you Jila for your question, and Eduardo for your spot-on answer. One available method to find the species of a particular virus is through the Virus Metadata Resource. (You can download the VMR spreadsheet from: https://talk.ictvonline.org/taxonomy/vmr/. The VMR provides information on virus isolate exemplars as well as other isolates that have been classified as members of a particular species. The virus, human coronavirus OC43, can be found under the virus name(s) column, and then you can see that it is classified under the species Betacoronavirus 1. The VMR is not a comprehensive listing of all virus isolates, but it is useful as a first place to check when trying to find the correct classification.

Elliot

_______________________________________________________________________

Elliot J. Lefkowitz, Ph.D. | Professor, Department of Microbiology
Data Secretary | International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses
http://www.ictvonline.org/
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
BBRB 277 | 845 19th ST South | Birmingham, AL  35294-2170
Email: elliotl@uab.edu

If you look at the history link for the species Betacoronavirus 1, https://talk.ictvonline.org//taxonomy/p/taxonomy-history?taxnode_id=201851861 you will find that the species Human coronavirus OC43 was merged into the species Betacoronavirus 1 in 2009. Pages 15, 18, and 36 of the proposal available from https://talk.ictvonline.org/ictv/proposals/2008.085-122V.v4.Coronaviridae.pdf detail this change.