Retroviruses are best known for causing contagious scourges such as AIDS, or more sporadically, cancer.  However, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Karolinska Institutet found that endogenous retroviruses (ERV) also play a critical role in the body’s immune defense against common bacterial and viral pathogens.  Most scientists have become used to the view that retroviruses are generally harmful.  The team have found that ERV … Continue reading Scientists identify new and beneficial function of endogenous retroviruses in immune response.