picornavirus en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /pɪˈkɔɹnəˌvaɪɹəs/
Etymology
The name "picornavirus" has a dual etymology. Firstly, the name derives from picorna- which is an acronym for "poliovirus, insensitivity to ether, coxsackievirus, orphan virus, rhinovirus, and ribonucleic acid". Secondly, the name derives from pico-, which designates a very small unit of measurement (equivalent to 10⁻¹²), combined with rna to describe this group of very small RNA viruses.; pico- + RNA + virus
Meanings
-
Any of the family Picornaviridae of RNA viruses, many of which are pathogenic, causing diseases such as polio, foot-and-mouth disease, and many varieties of the common cold.
Historically, interest in virology developed because these tiny microbes caused significant human and veterinary disease. One picornavirus, foot-and-mouth disease virus, was the first animal disease virus discovered; it was identified by Friedrich Loeffler and Paul Frosch in 1898 as a filterable, infectious agent that caused the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease. The discovery of poliovirus as the etiologic agent of poliomyelitis was reported 11 years later by Karl Landsteiner and Edwin Popper...
2010, Ellie Ehrenfeld et al., The Picornaviruses, American Society for Microbiology Press, →ISBN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| picornaviruses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
picornavirologist · picornaviral · picornavirology
Translations (1)
fi pikornavirus (RNA virus of the family Picornaviridae)