subvirus

From sub- +‎ virus.

subvirus (plural subviruses)

1. (virology) An organism or substance, such as a viral protein, that is smaller than a virus and has some viral properties.
   • 2015, Slawomir Pikula, Joanna Bandorowicz-Pikula, Patrick Groves, “NMR of lipids”, in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, volume 44, Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry, →ISSN, page 391:

     Grélard et al.⁸⁷ determined the intimate structure of pseudoviral particles of hepatitis B subvirus using solid-state NMR, light scattering, and cryo-electron microscopy.

• subviral