Report from the 40th meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses

The Executive Committee (EC) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) held its 40th meeting at the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Centre in Istanbul, Turkey, from August 7 to 9, 2008. This was just prior to the XIV International Congress of Virology (ICV), part of the joint meeting organized by the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS), also in Istanbul, Turkey, from August 11 to 15, 2008. Most of the EC meeting was concerned with the discussion of taxonomic proposals. This communication reports the principal items of business discussed at the meeting.