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Glite Dictionary
arenavirus

arenavirus

1 9.9
A virus that often causes disease in animals and people
  • noun
  • /ˈɛrənəˌvaɪrəs/
  • Specialized
: arenavirus
  • Arenavirus infections are relatively common in humans in some areas of the world and can cause severe illnesses.

Examples

  • Results of RT-PCR for arenavirus and LCMV were negative.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a rodent-borne arenavirus, is a rare, zoonotic cause of aseptic meningitis in Europe and North America.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Sometimes an arenavirus, such as the one that causes Lassa hemorrhagic fever, will infect a human.

  • The arenavirus family of viruses that occur on many continents includes the African Lassa virus.

Synonyms

animal virus
vsarenavirus
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A virus that infects animals, not plants or bacteria

is a virus family narrowed to one group rather than the general animal-infecting category

Surface Forms

arenavirus singular
arenaviruses plural

Morphology

arenavirus = arena + virus (opaque) = arena + virus

Although formally a compound of 'arena' + 'virus', the 'arena' element in the scientific name refers to a technical sense (Latin 'sand' appearance) rather than the common meaning 'stadium', so knowing everyday 'arena' does not let learners infer the term.

Etymology

The word arenavirus comes from the Latin root arena, which means 'sand'. Scientists used this name because the virus particles look like tiny grains of sand under a microscope, so the name points to their sandy appearance.