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Glite Dictionary
Filoviridae

Filoviridae

1 9.9
A family of long threadlike viruses, including Ebola and Marburg, that cause severe disease in humans and other primates
  • noun
  • /ˌfɪloʊˈvɪrɪdiː/
  • Specialized
: Filoviridae
  • Marburg and Ebola viruses, the two species within the family Filoviridae, are among the most pathogenic agents causing fulminant hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates.

Examples

  • The Filoviridae family includes viruses that lead to deadly diseases such as Ebola and Marburg.

  • Vaccines are being developed to combat the diseases caused by members of the Filoviridae family.

  • Researchers are studying how Filoviridae viruses infect their hosts and cause severe symptoms.

Surface Forms

Filoviridae singular
Filoviridae plural

Morphology

Filoviridae = filovirus (semi-transparent) = filo + virus + idae

The element 'virus' makes the domain clear, but the combining form 'filo' and the taxonomic suffix '-idae' are technical and not fully transparent to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Filoviridae comes from the Latin filum meaning 'thread' and the family ending -viridae from virus, so it means 'thread viruses'. A helpful way to remember it is the word filament, which also means a thin thread, because these viruses, like Ebola and Marburg, have a long, threadlike shape.