| Spumaretrovirinae | |
|---|---|
Virus classification | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Pararnavirae |
| Phylum: | Artverviricota |
| Class: | Revtraviricetes |
| Order: | Ortervirales |
| Family: | Retroviridae |
| Subfamily: | Spumaretrovirinae |
| Genera[1] | |
Spumaretrovirinae, commonly calledspumaviruses (spuma,Latin for "foam") orfoamyviruses, is a subfamily of theRetroviridaefamily.[2] Spumaviruses areexogenous viruses that have specificmorphology with prominent surfacespikes. Thevirions contain significant amounts of double-stranded full-lengthDNA, and assembly is rather unusual in these viruses. Spumaviruses are unlike most enveloped viruses in that theenvelope membrane is acquired bybudding through theendoplasmic reticulum instead of thecytoplasmic membrane. Some spumaviruses, including the equine foamy virus (EFV), bud from the cytoplasmic membrane.
Some examples of these viruses aresimian foamy virus and thehuman foamy virus.
While spumaviruses will form characteristic large vacuoles in their host cells whilein vitro, there is no disease associationin vivo.[3]
