Diccionari de virologia

© Author: Government of Catalonia. Ministry of Santé; TERMCAT, Centre  for Terminology
© Publisher: TERMCAT, Centre for Terminology, 2025
In collaboration with: Catalan Society of Biology. Virology Section

The Diccionari de virologia (‘Dictionary of Virology') brings together more than 360 specialised terms relating to the main concepts associated with viruses and their mechanisms of interaction with hosts, populations and ecosystems. The project is based on the One Health approach, which integrates the human, animal, plant and environmental dimensions of health in a cross-cutting manner within an interdisciplinary framework.

The work is structured into six thematic areas: basic concepts and classification of viruses; viral cycle and host interaction; transmission; epidemiology; preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic tools; applications; and biosafety and biocontainment. Each dictionary entry includes one or more Catalan denominations and the corresponding equivalents in Spanish, French and English. Each entry is completed by a definition and, in some cases, explanatory notes providing additional information on the term.

The dictionary is complemented by an informative infographic presenting the fundamental concepts of biosafety and biocontainment associated with the four biosafety levels (BSL1, BSL2, BSL3 and BSL4) established according to biological risk. In the case of biological agents, information is provided on viral taxonomy, hosts and reservoir, the One Health approach, and the required biosafety level.

The taxonomic classification of viruses follows the current criteria established by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), the international reference authority in viral taxonomy. This organization has adopted a binomial nomenclature for viral species (consisting of a genus name and a specific epithet), aligned with the classification system used for living organisms in other kingdoms and domains.

Both works, the dictionary and the infographic, have been jointly produced by the TERMCAT Terminology Centre, an institution attached to the Department of Language Policy, and the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia, and has benefited from the scientific advice of a group of experts from several research centres (IRTA-CReSA, CRAG, and the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona).

Both resources are intended to serve as rigorous and useful reference tools, with the aim of providing professionals, academics, students and anyone interested with a reliable terminological reference.

Given the constant evolution of knowledge in the field of the life sciences and, in particular, in virology, this terminological collection has been conceived as a work open to ongoing updating, in collaboration with the members of the Virology Section of the Catalan Society of Biology of the Institute of Catalan Studies.

Clicking on “Consulta de termes” (‘Term search’), you can have access to terms in three ways: using the alphabetical indexes (there is a different index for each language of the dictionary); using the telematic index in Catalan, or making simple or advanced searches directly in the upper space “Text de la consulta” (‘Text search’) in any of the dictionary languages. 

Downloadable terminolgy at Terminologia Oberta.

Work team
Concept diagram
Bibliography 

Complementary documentation:
Infographic: Bioseguretat i biocontenció

Author:

Publisher:

In collaboration with:

CATALUNYA. DEPARTAMENT DE SALUT; TERMCAT, CENTRE DE TERMINOLOGIA. Diccionari de virologia [en línia]. Barcelona: TERMCAT, Centre de Terminologia, cop. 2025. (Diccionaris en Línia) 
<https://www.termcat.cat/ca/diccionaris-en-linia/327/>