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pubmed:abstractText |
This article reviews the history, classification, and disease associations of the known human retroviruses and outlines their profound effects on the practice of transfusion medicine. The immunodeficiency viruses, HIV-1 and HIV-2, produce a cytolytic effect on infected lymphocytes, and are the causative agents of AIDS. In contrast are the oncoviruses, including HTLV-I and HTLV-II, which are typically lymphoproliferative and able to induce cellular transformation. Human foamy viruses, more recently recognized as a potential human neuropathogen, resemble the other retroviruses with their complex genome organization and structure.
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