A summary of decisions made by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses at its most recent meeting is presented. For the Picornaviridae, 2 new genera, APHTHOVIRUS and CARDIOVIRUS, are accepted. For the Poxviridae, a new genus, SUIPOXVIRUS, is created to comprise the swinepox group and 2 new subfamilies, CHORDOPOXVIRINAE (includes the genera Orthopoxvirus, Parapoxvirus, Avipoxvirus, Capripoxvirus, Leporipoxvirus and Suipoxvirus) and ENTOMOPOXVIRINAE (includes the insect poxviruses), are introduced. For the Reoviridae, the plant reovirus group is divided into 2 genera, PHYTOREOVIRUS and FIJIVIRUS, and the rotavirus group is upgraded to the genus ROTAVIRUS. For the plant viruses, 3 new groups, Geminivirus, southern bean mosaic virus group and maize chlorotic dwarf group, are approved. For the bacterial viruses, 2 new families, TECTIVIRIDAE and PLASMAVIRIDAE, and family names for 5 of the 8 previously approved groups, MICROVIRIDAE, CORTICOVIRIDAE, LEVIVIRIDAE, CYSTOVIRIDAE and INOVIRIDAE, are accepted. A name change from Herpetoviridae to HERPESVIRIDAE was also approved.