<P> The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) authorizes and organizes the taxonomic classification of and the nomenclatures for viruses . The ICTV have developed a universal taxonomic - scheme for viruses, and means to describe, name, and classify every virus that affects living organisms . The members of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses are considered expert virologists . The ICTV was formed from and is governed by the Virology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies . Detailed work, such as delimiting the boundaries of species within a family, typically is performed by study groups of experts in the families . </P> <P> The objectives of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses are: </P>

Virus taxonomy the database of the international committee on taxonomy of viruses (ictv)