human T-cell lymphotrophic virus: any one of a small family of viruses that cause certain rare diseases in the T-cells of human beings; for instance, HTLV I causes a form of leukaemia
HTLV in American English
(ˌeɪtʃˌtiˌɛlˈvi)
noun
any of a group of retroviruses that invade T cells, including the HIV retroviruses that cause , AIDS
Word origin
h(uman) T(-cell) l(eukemia) [or l(eukemia / lymphoma) or l(ymphotrophic)] v(irus)