To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Medical Definition of simian virus 40
: a double-stranded DNA virus of the genus Polyomavirus (species Simian virus 40) that infects monkeys and has been shown experimentally to cause tumors in laboratory rodents
— called also SV40
Note: Simian virus 40 was first discovered in the early 1960s in cultures of kidney cells which were derived from rhesus monkeys and used to prepare polio vaccines. Antibodies to simian virus 40 have been detected in humans, and DNA of simian virus 40 has been isolated from human tumors.
Test Your Vocabulary
Semantic Drift Quiz
- Which of the following was once a synonym for fun?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share simian virus 40