Herpes virus

These are all viruses of the Herpesviridae family. They are icosahedral in shape, have double-stranded DNA, many of them infect animals. At least 25 viruses of this family are known, 8 of them most commonly infect humans. They can cause disease symptoms immediately or only after many years. This virus family includes human herpesvirus I and II, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and others. When a person is infected with Herpes viruses, they remain in the body for life. The peculiarity of these viruses is that they infect mucosal epithelial cells or lymphocytes. Then the viruses reach the nuclei of neurons through peripheral nerves, where they can remain for years until they are activated.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė