It is distantly similar to the other pathogenic African arenavirus, Lassa fever virus. The distribution of this newly described arenavirus is uncertain. The 3076 virus is a strain of "Mobala virus" in the genus "Arenavirus". Specifically it is an old world arenavirus, which is enveloped, single-stranded, and bi-segmented RNA. The life cycle of the arenavirus is restricted to the cell cytoplasm. The identification of this virus was the first new arenavirus discovered in over 40 years. It shares this receptor with the prototypic Old World arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Whitewater Arroyo mammarenavirus (WWAV) is a zoonotic Arenavirus associated with hemorrhagic fever with liver failure. "Arenavirus" comes from the Latin (sand) for the sandy appearance of the virions.