Edit page | Page history | Printable version

polyomavirus

(Science: virology) A papovavirus (genus polyomavirus, family papovaviridae) which is a dNA tumour virus with very small genome.

Polyoma was isolated from mice, in which it causes no obvious disease, but when injected at high titre into baby rodents, including mice, it causes tumours of a wide variety of histological types (hence polyoma).

in vitro, infected mouse cells are permissive for virus replication and thus are killed, whilst hamster cells undergo abortive infection and at a low frequency become transformed.

It is capable of producing parotid tumours in mice and sarcomas in hamsters as well as tumours in other laboratory animals.

Synonym: mouse parotid tumour virus.