Rethwilm A
Institut für Virologie und Immunbiologie, Würzburg, Germany.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1996;13 Suppl 1:S248-53. doi: 10.1097/00042560-199600001-00037.
Foamy viruses make up a distinct subgroup of retroviruses. They are widely distributed among nonhuman primates, felines, and bovines. In their natural hosts and in cases of rare zoonotic transmissions to humans foamy viruses cause persistent and apparently benign infections. While foamy viruses are not of medical importance in causing human or animal diseases, they may become valuable tools for somatic gene transfer in the future. However, a better understanding of the molecular biology of this virus group is a prerequisite for the development of foamy virus vectors. In this respect, recent research has revealed major differences between the foamy virus and the general retroviral replication strategies and some similarities to hepadnaviruses.
泡沫病毒构成逆转录病毒中的一个独特亚群。它们广泛分布于非人类灵长类动物、猫科动物和牛科动物中。在其自然宿主以及罕见的人畜共患传播给人类的情况下，泡沫病毒会引起持续性且明显良性的感染。虽然泡沫病毒在引发人类或动物疾病方面不具有医学重要性，但它们未来可能会成为体细胞基因转移的有价值工具。然而，更好地了解该病毒组的分子生物学是开发泡沫病毒载体的先决条件。在这方面，最近的研究揭示了泡沫病毒与一般逆转录病毒复制策略之间的主要差异以及与嗜肝DNA病毒的一些相似之处。
