[The retroviral spumaviruses: new data in retrovirology].

Spumaviruses or foamy viruses belong to the Retroviridae family. Their genomic structure enables to classify them among the complex retroviruses like lentiviruses and the T leukemia viruses. These viruses, discovered 40 years ago, present a large cellular tropism and although highly lytic in vitro, they seem to be innocuous in vivo. However, recent fascinating findings on foamy viruses bring new important biological aspects of general interest for the field of retrovirology and show that these viruses are at the crossroads between retroviruses and pararetroviruses.