HTLV-3

or HTLV-III


human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 3. See under AIDS virus.

Definition for htlv-3 (2 of 2)

AIDS virus

noun

a variable retrovirus that invades and inactivates helper T cells of the immune system and is a cause of AIDS and AIDS-related complex: variants were identified in several laboratories and independently named lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 3 (HTLV-3), and AIDS-related virus (ARV), the name human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) being subsequently proposed by an international taxonomy committee.