- myxovirus
- Term formerly used for viruses with an affinity for mucins, now included in the families Orthomyxoviridae and Paramyxoviridae. The myxoviruses included influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, measles virus, and mumps virus.
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myxo·vi·rus 'mik-sə-.vī-rəs n any of the viruses now classified in the families Orthomyxoviridae and Paramyxoviridae that were formerly included in a now rejected family (Myxoviridae)myxo·vi·ral .mik-sə-'vī-rəl adj* * *
n.one of a group of RNA-containing viruses that are associated with various diseases in animals and humans. The orthomyxoviruses cause diseases of the respiratory tract, most notably influenza. The related paramyxoviruses include the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the agents that cause measles, mumps, and parainfluenza.* * *
myxo·vi·rus (mikґso-vi″rəs) [myxo- + virus] a group of RNA viruses characterized by special affinities for mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins, similarities in virion structure, neuraminidase activity, and hemagglutination. Myxoviruses are divided into the families Orthomyxoviridae and Paramyxoviridae. myxoviral adj
Medical dictionary. 2011.