38 Examples of Viruses & Diseases They Cause

A virus is a small infectious agent that are not considered living organisms because they do not have their own metabolism or the ability to reproduce on their own.

Examples of Viruses

Here are examples of viruses:

1. Adenovirus (family Adenoviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Common cold, conjunctivitis, acute respiratory infection, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and pharyngitis.

2. Aphthous ulcer virus (family Picornaviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Mouth ulcers.

3. Barmah Forest virus (family Bunyaviridae)

• Habitat: Mosquitoes.
• Diseases: Barmah Forest virus disease.

4. Bovine ephemeral fever virus (family Bunyaviridae)

• Habitat: Mosquitoes.
• Diseases: Bovine ephemeral fever.

5. Canine distemper virus (family Paramyxoviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Canine distemper, measles.

6. Cytomegalovirus (family Herpesviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Mononucleosis, pneumonia, encephalitis, cytomegalovirus retinitis, and cytomegalovirus infection in newborns.

7. Dengue virus (family Flaviviridae)

• Habitat: Mosquitoes.
• Diseases: Dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, and dengue shock syndrome.

8. Enterovirus (family Picornaviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Common cold, hand, foot, and mouth disease, polio, aseptic meningitis, and encephalitis.

9. Epstein-Barr virus (family Herpesviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Mononucleosis, Burkitt’s lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

10. Filoviridae (family Filoviridae)

• Habitat: Bats.
• Diseases: Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease.

11. Hepatitis A virus (family Picornaviridae)

• Habitat: Food, water, and the feces of infected people.
• Diseases: Hepatitis A.

12. Hepatitis B virus (family Hepadnaviridae)

• Habitat: Blood, semen, and other bodily fluids.
• Diseases: Hepatitis B.

13. Hepatitis C virus (family Flaviviridae)

• Habitat: Blood.
• Diseases: Hepatitis C.

14. Human herpesvirus 6 (family Herpesviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Roseola infantum.

15. Human herpesvirus 7 (family Herpesviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Roseola infantum and Kaposi’s sarcoma.

16. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (family Retroviridae)

• Habitat: Blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
• Diseases: AIDS.

17. Influenza A virus (family Orthomyxoviridae)

• Habitat: Humans and animals.
• Diseases: The flu.

18. Influenza B virus (family Orthomyxoviridae)

• Habitat: Humans and animals.
• Diseases: The flu.

19. Influenza C virus (family Orthomyxoviridae)

• Habitat: Humans.
• Diseases: Mild flu-like illness.

20. Japanese encephalitis virus (family Flaviviridae)

• Habitat: Mosquitoes.
• Diseases: Japanese encephalitis, a serious illness that can be fatal.

21. La Crosse virus (family Bunyaviridae)

• Habitat: Mosquitoes.
• Diseases: La Crosse encephalitis, a serious illness that can be fatal.

22. Lentivirus (family Retroviridae)

• Habitat: A variety of animals, including humans.
• Diseases: HIV/AIDS, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV).

23. Measles virus (family Paramyxoviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Measles, a highly contagious respiratory disease

24. Mumps virus (family Paramyxoviridae)

• Habitat: Air, water, food, and the bodies of animals and humans.
• Diseases: Mumps, a contagious disease that causes swelling of the salivary glands.

25. Necrotizing fasciitis virus (family Staphylococcaceae)

• Habitat: Humans.
• Diseases: Necrotizing fasciitis, a serious bacterial infection that can lead to tissue death.

26. Norovirus (family Caliciviridae)

• Habitat: Humans.
• Diseases: Vomiting and diarrhea.

27. Orthopoxvirus (family Poxviridae)

• Habitat: Humans and animals.
• Diseases: Smallpox, monkeypox, and cowpox.

28. Parvoviruses (family Parvoviridae)

• Habitat: Humans and animals.
• Diseases: Fifth disease, parvovirus B19 infection, and canine parvovirus infection.

29. Poliovirus (family Picornaviridae)

• Habitat: Humans.
• Diseases: Polio, a paralyzing disease.

30. Rabies virus (family Rhabdoviridae)

• Habitat: Animals.
• Diseases: Rabies, a fatal disease.

31. Reovirus (family Reoviridae)

• Habitat: Humans and animals.
• Diseases: Rotavirus gastroenteritis, Colorado tick fever, and epidemic keratoconjunctivitis.

32. Rotavirus (family Reoviridae)

• Habitat: Humans and animals.
• Diseases: Rotavirus gastroenteritis, a diarrheal illness that is common in young children.

33. SARS-CoV-2 (family Coronaviridae)

• Habitat: Humans.
• Diseases: COVID-19, a respiratory illness that can range from mild to severe.

34. Smallpox virus (family Poxviridae)

• Habitat: Humans.
• Diseases: Smallpox, a highly contagious and deadly disease that has been eradicated.

35. Streptococcus pyogenes (family Streptococcus)

• Habitat: Humans.
• Diseases: Strep throat, scarlet fever, and necrotizing fasciitis.

36. Tick-borne encephalitis virus (family Flaviviridae)

• Habitat: Ticks.
• Diseases: Tick-borne encephalitis, a serious illness that can be fatal.

37. Varicella-zoster virus (family Herpesviridae)

• Habitat: Humans.
• Diseases: Chickenpox and shingles.

38. West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae)

• Habitat: Mosquitoes.
• Diseases: West Nile virus disease, a serious illness that can be fatal.