slow virus

noun

: any of various infectious agents now usually considered to be prions that have a long incubation period between infection and the clinical appearance of the associated disease compare prion disease

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slow virus was in 1965

Dictionary Entries Near slow virus

slow-up

slow virus

slow-walk

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Cite this Entry

“Slow virus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slow%20virus. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

slow virus

noun
: any of various viruses (as a lentivirus) or prions having a long incubation period between infection and the clinical appearance of the slowly progressive serious or fatal disease (as scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or AIDS) associated with it

More from Merriam-Webster on slow virus

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about slow virus

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