RETROVIRUS

noun Also written retravirus (Health and Fitness) Any of a group of RNA viruses (including HIV) which form DNA during the replication of their RNA. Etymology: Formed by adding the initial two letters of REverse and TRanscriptase and the combining-form suffix -o to virus; one of the distinguishing characteristics of a retrovirus is the presence of reverse transcriptase, the enzyme which acts as a catalyst for the formation of DNA from an RNA template. History and Usage: The family of retroviruses was first given the Latin name Retroviridae in the mid seventies; during the late seventies there was increasing scientific interest in them, which was boosted in the early eighties by the race to find the viral cause of (and ultimately a cure for) Aids. It was this connection with Aids that ensured that the word retrovirus became popularized rather than remaining limited to technical literature; however, although the word appeared in popular sources in the eighties it was probably not as widely understood as this popular usage would suggest. The corresponding adjective is retroviral. It turns out this virus is a retrovirus, and it's a close, kissing cousin of the AIDS virus. USA Today 29 Oct. 1990, section A, p. 13