Lentivirus

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Lentivirus
Virus classification
(unranked):	Virus
Realm:	Riboviria
Kingdom:	Pararnavirae
Phylum:	Artverviricota
Class:	Revtraviricetes
Order:	Ortervirales
Family:	Retroviridae
Subfamily:	Orthoretrovirinae
Genus:	Lentivirus
Species
Bovine immunodeficiency virus Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus Equine infectious anemia virus Feline immunodeficiency virus Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Jembrana disease virus Puma lentivirus Simian immunodeficiency virus Visna-maedi virus (+5 endogenous found)[1]

Lentivirus is a genus of retroviruses that cause chronic and deadly diseases characterized by long incubation periods, in humans and other mammalian species.^[2] The genus includes the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. Lentiviruses are distributed worldwide, and are known to be hosted in apes, cows, goats, horses, cats, and sheep as well as several other mammals.^[2]

Lentiviruses can integrate a significant amount of viral complementary DNA into the DNA of the host cell and can efficiently infect nondividing cells, so they are one of the most efficient methods of gene delivery.^[3] They can become endogenous, integrating their genome into the host germline genome, so that the virus is henceforth inherited by the host's descendants.^[1]