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Dictionary » Slow virus disease

Slow virus disease

Introduction: Slow virus disease

Description of Slow virus disease

Slow virus disease: 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 disease of sheep, caused by viruses of the genus Lentivirus (family Retroviridae), and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, apparently caused by the measles virus. Spongiform encephalopathies, including kuru of humans, scrapie of sheep, and transmissible encephalopathy of mink may also be classified under slow virus disease as they were previously but are now more widely considered prion diseases.
Source: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Slow virus disease: Diseases of viral origin, characterized by incubation periods of months to years, insidious onset of clinical manifestations, and protracted clinical course. Though the disease process is protracted, viral multiplication may not be unusually slow. Conventional viruses produce slow virus diseases such as SUBACUTE SCLEROSING PANENCEPHALITIS, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (LEUKOENCEPHALOPATHY, PROGRESSIVE MULTIFOCAL), and AIDS. Diseases produced by unconventional agents were originally considered part of this group. They are now called PRION DISEASES.
Source: MeSH 2007