papovavirus /pap′əvəvī″rəs/ [(abbreviation) papilloma polyoma vacuolating virus] , one of a group of small deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) viruses, some of which may be potentially cancer-producing. The human wart is caused by a kind of papovavirus, but it very rarely undergoes malignant transformation. Kinds include papilloma papovavirus, polyoma papovavirus, SV40 papovavirus.
