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Herpes Viruses - A Large Family

Herpes viruses have accompanied man for millions of years and have adapted very well to humans. Once an infection occurs, the herpes virus remains in the body for life. This means that every adult human is a carrier of one or more of the nine herpes viruses. After the initial infection, which often is free of symptoms and remains undetected, the herpes viruses switch to a so-called stage of latency. No new virus particles are produced in this phase and the virus is not recognised by the immune system at all or only with much difficulty. Only upon reactivation, which may be caused by a weakened immune system, the virus proliferates in the body and symptoms of disease may become manifest. However,…

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 Modified herpes virus completely wiped out a terminal cancer

Several patients with various kinds of terminal cancer were treated with a herpes virus modified to kill cancer cells. Many of the patients’ cancers stopped growing. One patient’s cancer was entirely destroyed by the virus. Viruses are one of humanity’s oldest enemies, but biotechnology can transform them into weapons against cancer.

Articles of Interest

Healthier With Herpesviruses?

Eight human herpesviruses are known, and most people are infected with several of them at an early age. They can cause serious disease: The cytomegalovirus (CMV), for instance, can blind people with compromised immune systems, and the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can cause tumors. But in the vast majority of cases, herpesviruses become latent: They just hang out in the body, never leaving but never causing trouble.

Antiviral Therapies for Herpesviruses: Current Agents and New Directions

Herpesviruses are a family of DNA viruses that are ubiquitous throughout human populations and share the feature of establishing lifelong infections in a latent phase with the potential of periodic reactivation. With the exception of herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus, and Epstein-Barr virus, which have a significant disease burden in individuals with normal immune function, the morbidity and mortality of the remaining viruses are primarily associated with the immunocompromised host. Over the last half-century, several agents have been tested in large randomized, placebo-controlled trials that have resulted in safe and effective antiviral agents for the treatment of many of these infections.

Bringing Together the Old and the New: Could Herpesviruses be Impacting Blood Flows in ME/CFS and Long COVID?

Herpesviruses have been mentioned in connection with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) for almost 40 years. It wasn’t until coagulation and blood vessel issues showed up in long COVID that clotting became a significant subject of interest in ME/CFS. Could the old and the new somehow be connected?

Can We Gene-Edit Herpes Away?

Because the virus hides out deep in our bodies and stays there for life, a vaccine has eluded scientists for decades. But there may be another way.

Chronic Illness Trifecta: COVID, Mold Exposure & Herpesviruses

Recent research has shown a connection between three significant health challenges: COVID, mold exposure, and herpesvirus reactivation. This interaction may help explain why some individuals experience more severe or prolonged symptoms, particularly in the context of Long COVID.

Comparative virion structures of human herpesviruses

The nucleocapsid is surrounded by a partially ordered proteinaceous layer called the tegument, which in turn is enclosed within the envelope, a polymorphic lipid bilayer containing multiple copies of more than 10 different kinds of viral glycoproteins that are responsible for viral attachment and entry to host cells.

How herpesviruses awaken

Eight different herpes viruses are known to date in humans. They all settle down permanently in the body after acute infection. Under certain circumstances, they wake up from this dormant phase, multiply and attack other cells. This reactivation is often associated with symptoms, such as itchy cold sores or shingles.

Modern herpes variants may be linked to bronze age kissing, study finds

Virus may have received a boost from rise of kissing that came with westward migrations 4,500 years ago.

Newly discovered link between diabetes risk and herpesvirus infection

Two common herpesviruses have been associated with the onset of prediabetes in a new study led by researchers in Germany. The findings build on a growing body of evidence connecting viral infections to the development of chronic disease.

Now We Know Just How Herpes Infects Human Cells

Figuring out a way to stop the viral explosion could take out not only herpes, but a whole host of other ailments.

Oysters Can Get Herpes, And It’s Killing Them

Oysters Can Get Herpes, And It’s Killing Them

Reactivation of herpesviruses in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Human Herpesviruses (HHVs) have been speculatively implicated in ME/CFS pathogenesis, but there is no correlation between infection per se and ME/CFS development. Most people are infected with HHVs early in life and do not experience any symptoms due to an effective immunological system. We hypothesise that the characteristic persistent remitting and relapsing nature of the ME/CFS syndrome in many individuals is the result of repeated HHV-6B reactivation, due to abnormal immune responses in susceptible people following an initial triggering event such as infection with another virus

Research Review: Reactivation of human herpesviruses and their role in ME/CFS and Long Covid

There are over 100 different herpesviruses, but only 8 are commonly found to infect humans. These include HHV4, HHV6, HHV7, and HHV8. The most common HHV is Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) (or HHV4). It is found all over the world and has infected almost the entire population. Most people experience a mild infection during childhood, but infection in teenage years can develop into glandular fever, or mononucleosis, and is also known as ‘the kissing disease’. Another well-known and relatively common infection is Chickenpox (HHV3), caused by the Varicella-Zoster Virus. This is often an acute infection that is nearly always caught in childhood, with reactivation potentially causing Shingles in later life.

Scientists uncover how herpes virus fuels Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists have uncovered a link between human herpesvirus and Alzheimer's, showing how viral-driven transposable elements accelerate brain degeneration. The good news? Antiviral drugs like valacyclovir may help slow or even prevent the disease.

The upside of herpes – when one infection protects against another

When people say that every cloud has a silver lining, they probably aren’t thinking about herpes at the time. Herpes may be unpleasant, but the viruses that cause it and related diseases could have a bright side. In mice at least, they provide resistance against bacteria, including the bubonic plague.

The viral hypothesis: how herpesviruses may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease

Nine herpesviruses infect humans, all of which establish lifelong latency after infection. It has long been known that several herpesviruses, including herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), establish latency in the peripheral nervous system. However, it was only with the advent of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification that researchers discovered, in 1991, that trace amounts of HSV-1 DNA were also present in the brains of both AD patients and healthy controls, a finding since extended to several other herpesviruses.

Up close with herpesviruses

Viral capsids are marvels of biological engineering. They are sturdy enough to withstand pressure exerted by the tightly packed genomes inside yet can come apart or loosen easily to release the viral genome once the virus penetrates the cell. They are also great examples of genetic economy.

Resources

How understanding the secrets of herpesviruses helps fight cancer

Herpesvirus is a remarkably complex virus. It can’t replicate on its own outside of infected host cells. Therefore, it mastered to command multiple cell’s machinery. Izumiya and his team are investigating how KSHV manipulates the host cell’s functions. The researchers have found specific viral proteins essential for hijacking the cell resources.

National Library of Medicine

Of the more than 100 known herpesviruses, 8 routinely infect only humans: herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, human herpesvirus 6 (variants A and B), human herpesvirus 7, and Kaposi's sarcoma virus or human herpesvirus 8. A simian virus, called B virus, occasionally infects humans. All herpesviruses can establish latent infection within specific tissues, which are characteristic for each virus.