aciclovir
English edit
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Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From acyclo(guanosine) + -vir (“antiviral”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /eɪˈsʌɪ.klə(ʊ)ˌvɪə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /eɪˈsaɪ.kloʊˌvɪɹ/
Noun edit
aciclovir (uncountable)
- (pharmacology) A cyclic synthetic nucleoside C8H11N5O3 used as an antiviral drug (trademarks Avirax, Zovirax) chiefly in the treatment of chicken pox, shingles, the genital form of herpes simplex, and AIDS.
- 1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 443:
- In cells infected with the herpes virus, acyclovir is converted to a metabolic blocking agent, thereby largely overcoming the old and plaguing problem of toxicity to the host.
- 2005, Donald Hall, The Best Day the Worst Day: Life with Jane Kenyon, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, page 98:
- From the description, Letha felt sure Jane had herpes zoster, or shingles, which often strikes cancer patients or others with depressed immune systems. Jane spent another week in the Bubble, treated with acyclovir.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
Translations
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References edit
- “acyclovir”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “acyclovir”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.