Torovirus

Torovirus is a genus of enveloped, positive-strand RNA viruses in the order Nidovirales and family Tobaniviridae. They primarily infect vertebrates, especially cattle, pigs, and horses. Diseases associated with this genus include gastroenteritis, which commonly presents in mammals. Torovirus is the only genus in the monotypic subfamily Torovirinae. Torovirus is also a monotypic taxon, containing only one subgenus, Renitovirus.

The discovery of the first torovirus can be traced back to 1970s. Equine torovirus (EToV) was accidentally found in the rectal sample from a horse who was experiencing severe diarrhea. The 'Breda' bovine torovirus was later found in 1979 while investigation in a dairy farm in Breda. They had several calves experiencing severe diarrhea for months. In 1984, torovirus-like particles were detected with electron microscope (EM) technique in the human patients with gastroenteritis.