The tospoviruses are a diverse, cosmopolitan and economically importan
t genus of plant viruses. In the recent past, interest in the tospovir
uses has been rekindled with the resurgence and expansion of tomato sp
otted wilt virus and the appearance of new tospoviruses, including imp
atiens necrotic spot. This renewed interest in the tospoviruses, accom
panied with the many recent advances in plant virology techniques, par
ticularly those utilising molecular biology, have resulted in a rapid
growth of our understanding of these viruses. This paper provides a re
view of the tospoviruses, encompassing all the major aspects of their
biology, including the recent changes in the classification of the gen
us and current knowledge on molecular biology, vector relations, contr
ol and diagnosis.