Different Herpes Viruses

Herpes viruses

- 6 viruses; eachproduces a mild illness upon entering the body; the virus then lies latent within the host genome, awaiting reactivation, for the rest of the person's life

- herpes simplex 1
- usually contracted by getting kissed, as a baby

- a majority of adults have the virus, though most never become sick or suffer only fever blisters

- the virus climbs sensory nerves and hides in nervous tissue

- cold sore, fever blister, sun blister

- the virus can also cause generalized severe vesicular eruptions of the skin; also herpes ulcers of the cornea, or even necrosis of the temporal lobes of the brain

- pathologists recognize typical herpes cells in sections or touch preparations ; the nucleus loses its texture and becomes pale and swollen

- herpes simplex 2

- this virus is usually contracted through sexual contact, and produces painful, recurrent blisters on the genitals; pathology is identical to HSV-I;

- if present in the birth canal, then the newborn will contract the virus during delivery

- this is deadly, ceasarean section is indicated

- herpes necrotizing encephalitis is almost always due to type I herpes, but many patients experience viral meningitis during the first episode of herpes 2

- human herpes 6
- can cause disease by itself, and blamed for accellerating the course of HIV
- invades B lymphocytes