A genus of the family Bunyaviridae that contains more than 40 viruses that cross-react; transmitted by arthropods primarily of the genus Phlebotomus; causes sandfly fever and Rift Valley fever.
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Phle·bo·vi·rus 'flē-bə-.vī-rəs n a genus of single-stranded RNA viruses of the family Bunyaviridae that includes the causative agents of Rift Valley fever and sandfly fever
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Phleb·o·vi·rus (flebґo-vi″rəs) [Phlebotomus + virus] the sandfly fever viruses and uukuviruses; a genus of the family Bunyaviridae. Viruses are classified in two antigenic groups, the sandfly fever group and the Uukuniemi group. The sandfly fever group includes at least 39 species in nine serogroups and ungrouped species; the Uukuniemi group (the uukuviruses), which was previously recognized as a separate genus, contains 12 species in a single serogroup. The sandfly fever group includes the pathogens sandfly fever–Naples, sandfly fever–Sicilian, Toscana, and Rift Valley fever viruses; most sandfly fever viruses are transmitted by sandflies of the genus Phlebotomus, but some are mosquito-borne. Uukuviruses are tick-borne and include no known human pathogens. phleboviral adjMedical dictionary. 2011.