poliovirus

noun

po·​lio·​vi·​rus ˈpō-lē-(ˌ)ō-ˌvī-rəs 

variants or less commonly polio virus

: an enterovirus (species Poliovirus) occurring in three distinct serotypes that cause polio

Note: The poliovirus is typically transmitted orally by food, drink, or hands that are contaminated with infected fecal matter. The virus may sometimes be transmitted by the respiratory droplets or saliva of an infected individual. The poliovirus multiplies in the intestinal tract and sometimes spreads in the bloodstream throughout the body.

Examples of poliovirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That vaccine, given orally, uses a weakened but live form of the poliovirus. —Erika Edwards, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2024

As a stomach bug, poliovirus spreads best via contact with feces. —Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2024

The massive push for vaccines began after tests found the poliovirus in wastewater samples taken from two sites in Gaza over the summer. —Erika Edwards, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2024

But the paper underscores the fact that accidental releases of poliovirus are remarkably common. —Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

polio- (in poliomyelitis) + virus, later taken as New Latin

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

poliovirus

noun

po·​lio·​vi·​rus ˈpō-lē-(ˌ)ō-ˌvī-rəs 

variants also polio virus

: a picornavirus of the genus Enterovirus (species Poliovirus) that occurs in three distinct serotypes that cause polio

Note: The poliovirus is typically transmitted orally by food, drink, or hands that are contaminated with infected fecal matter. The virus may sometimes be transmitted by the respiratory droplets or saliva of an infected individual. The poliovirus multiplies in the intestinal tract and sometimes spreads in the bloodstream throughout the body.

A distinctive characteristic of acute polio infection is the predilection of the poliovirus for the nerve cells that control muscles.

—Lauro S. Halstead, Scientific American