Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1, HTLV-1, is the first human pathogenic RNA virus found to be associated with cancer. This virus belongs to a group known as retrovirus, which produces DNA copies of its RNA genome. This DNA is then integrated into the host DNA. Accumulated mutations in this inserted DNA can lead to cancer. Such mutations in HTLV-1-infected individuals are found to develop during division of infected cells rather than during replication of the virus.
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