Nucleoside Analog:
A type of antiviral drug, such as AZT, ddI, ddC or d4T, whose makeup constitutes a defective version of a natural nucleoside. Nucleoside analogs may take the place of the natural nucleosides, blocking the completion of a viral DNA chain during infection of a new cell by HIV. The HIV enzyme reverse transcriptase (see) is more likely to incorporate nucleoside analogs into the DNA it is constructing than is the DNA polymerase normally used for DNA creation in cell nuclei.
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