bunyavirus

noun bun·ya·vi·rus \ˈbən-yə-ˌvī-rəs\

Definition of BUNYAVIRUS

: any of a family (Bunyaviridae) of usually spherical or pleomorphic single-stranded RNA viruses usually transmitted by the bite of an arthropod (as a mosquito) or in the bodily secretions of rodents and including the hantaviruses and the causative agents of Rift Valley fever, sandfly fever, and some forms of encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever

Origin of BUNYAVIRUS

New Latin, from bunya- (from Bunyamwera, locale in western Uganda where the virus was isolated in 1943) + virus

First Known Use: 1985

Medical Dictionary

bunyavirus

noun bun·ya·vi·rus \ˈbən-yə-ˌvī-rəs\

Medical Definition of BUNYAVIRUS

capitalized : a genus of numerous single-stranded RNA viruses (as the La Crosse virus) of the family Bunyaviridae that are usually transmitted by mosquitoes or ticks

: any of the family Bunyaviridae of single-stranded RNA viruses