What is "papovavirus"

n. (context virology English) Any of the former family ''Papovaviridae'', now split into the (taxlink Papillomaviridae family noshow=1) and ''Polyomaviridae'' families, viruses that cause papillomas or polyomas in animals.

n. any of a group of animal viruses associated with or causing papillomas or polyomas

A papovavirus is any member of the former virus family of Papovaviridae. They are mainly associated with various neoplasms in mammals. The family of Papovaviridae is no longer used in recent taxonomy, but is split into the Papillomaviridae and the Polyomaviridae.

The name derives from three abbreviations: Pa for papillomavirus, Po for polyomavirus, and Va for " vacuolating" (simian vacuolating virus 40 or SV40, which is now known to be part of the polyomavirus genus).

Papovaviruses are DNA viruses containing double-stranded DNA, are icosahedral in shape, and do not have a lipoprotein envelope.

They are commonly found in humans and other species, mostly mammals. The one that most often causes disease in humans is the human papillomavirus.