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Medical Definition of Spleen focus-forming viruses
1. Murine leukaemia viruses that are replication-defective and rapidly transforming. The envelope gene plays an essential role in initiating erythroleukaemia, manifested by splenic foci, splenomegaly, and polycythemia. Spleen focus-forming viruses are generated by recombination with other viral types including friend p (polycythemia), friend a (anaemia), rauscher, and cas (from wild mice at lake casita, california). (12 Dec 1998)