vidarabine

[ vahy-dar-uh-bahyn ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. an antiviral substance, C 10 H 15 N 5 O 4 , produced by the bacterium Streptomyces antibioticus and used in immunosuppressed patients for the treatment of serious infections caused by herpesviruses.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vidarabine¹

First recorded in 1975–80; vi(ral) + d- + arab(inose) + (aden)ine