Meaning & use
flavivirus
Last updated
A genus of viruses, often spread by mosquitoes or ticks, that includes the pathogens responsible for dengue, Zika, West Nile, and yellow fever.
See it in a sentence
Zika is a flavivirus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes.
Researchers are developing vaccines against several flaviviruses that cause serious illness in humans.
A note on using this word
The name comes from the Latin 'flavus' (yellow), referencing yellow fever, the first disease in this group to be identified.
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