Definition of Slow virus
1. Noun. A virus that remains dormant in the body for a long time before symptoms appear. "Kuru is caused by a slow virus"
Medical Definition of Slow virus
1.
1. Specifically one of the Lentivirinae
2. Any virus causing a disease that has a very slow onset. Diseases such as sub acute spongiform encephalopathy, Aleutian disease of mink, scrapie, kuru and Creutzfeldt Jacob disease may be caused by slow viruses.
See: prion.
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Slow Virus
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