Slow virus

Slow virus

A slow virus is a virus, or a viruslike agent, etiologically associated with a disease having a long incubation period of months to years with a gradual onset frequently terminating in severe illness and/or death.A slow virus disease is a disease that follows a slow, progressive course spanning months to years, frequently involving the central nervous system and ultimately leading to death; examples are visna and maedi of sheep, caused by viruses of the genus Lentivirus (family Retroviridae), and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, apparently caused by the measles virus.
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of humans, scrapie of sheep, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) of cattle may also be classified under slow virus disease but are now considered to be prion diseases.Characteristics of Slow virus diseases are:They have long incubation periods ranging from months to years.They have slow but relentless progressive courses terminating fatally. They have a genetic pre-disposition.The immune system does not seem to play a role in its protection.

ee also

*Clinical latency
*Virus latency


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  • slow virus — n any of various viruses or prions having a long incubation period between infection and the clinical appearance of the slowly progressive serious or fatal disease (as scrapie or Creutzfeldt Jakob disease) associated with it * * * one of a group… …   Medical dictionary

  • slow virus — n. any of a number of viruses or viruslike infective agents that incubate for months or years before the manifestation of symptoms …   English World dictionary

  • slow virus — noun a virus that remains dormant in the body for a long time before symptoms appear kuru is caused by a slow virus • Hypernyms: ↑virus …   Useful english dictionary

  • Slow-Virus-Infektion —   [sləʊ vaɪərəs ; englisch slow »langsam«], Abkürzung SVI, Sammelbezeichnung für eine Gruppe von Viruserkrankungen bei Menschen und Tieren, die durch eine extrem lange Inkubationszeit (bis zu mehreren Jahren oder Jahrzehnten) und die Beschränkung …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Slow-Virus-Infektion — Slow Virus In|fektion [ßlo̱u wi̱...; engl. slow = langsam] w; , en: Virusinfektion mit extrem langer Inkubationszeit (Monate bis Jahre), die klinisch durch chronisch zunehmende Funktionsstörungen gekennzeichnet ist …   Das Wörterbuch medizinischer Fachausdrücke

  • slow virus — slow′ vi rus n. mcr a virus or viruslike agent that remains dormant in the body for a long time before producing symptoms • Etymology: 1950–55 …   From formal English to slang

  • slow virus — (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… …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • slow virus — noun a virus or virus like organism that multiplies slowly in the host organism and has a long incubation period …   English new terms dictionary

  • slow virus — Pathol. a virus that remains dormant in the body for a long time before producing symptoms, as in several neurological diseases, including kuru and Creutzfeldt Jakob disease. [1950 55] * * * …   Universalium

  • slow virus — /ˈsloʊ vaɪrəs/ (say sloh vuyruhs) noun a virus or similar organism which has a long incubation period extending to years or decades, as that causing Creutzfeldt Jakob disease; the first recognised lentivirus …  

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