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