Calicivirus Replication and Reverse Genetics

Caliciviruses are a diverse group of small, single stranded, positive sense RNA viruses that infect man and animals. The Caliciviridae family includes noroviruses, a major cause of gastroenteritis in man and animals. Despite their widespread prevalence, our knowledge of the calicivirus life cycle lags significantly behind that of other RNA viruses, largely due to the difficulties associated with culturing members of this family in the laboratory. Despite this, significant advances in the field over the past 10 years have provided a more detailed view of the calicivirus life cycle. This chapter provides an overview of the calicivirus life cycle, highlighting the common features shared between caliciviruses and recent discoveries. In addition, we provide a comprehensive description of the reverse genetics approaches that have been developed for the study of the calicivirus life cycle.