Since the identification of the first enteroviruses, the classification and the nomenclature of these viruses were modified several times. Even the base of the classification was changed during the 2000s when genetic criteria superseded the historical serological criteria used to identify enteroviruses. Product of these modifications, the current classification and nomenclature are confusing for students, researchers and practitioners who discover them for the first time; coxsackieviruses A and B, echoviruses and polioviruses are gathered into different species while surprisingly, in view of the etymology, the rhinoviruses now belong the genus Enterovirus. This review aims to summarize the history of the methods and concepts that were used to elaborate the successive classifications and to feature the discoveries that led to their modifications. Mostly slight, sometimes drastic, these modifications underline the history of our knowledge about the enteroviruses and their diversity; indirectly, they highlight our profound ignorance.
Keywords: coxsackievirus; echovirus; enterovirus; poliovirus; taxonomy.