Herpes simplex

• Herpes simplex is an acute viral disease (1,2)
• it causes blisters and sores around the mouth, nose, genitals, and buttocks, but they may occur almost anywhere on the skin.
  • the oral and genital mucocutaneous surfaces are the primary sites of infection
• there are two types of Herpes infection:
  • Type I Herpes virus (1)
    • HSV I is spread by infected saliva and is therefore spread by close personal contact.
    • it is most commonly associated with oral-facial lesions
    • marked by groups of vesicles on the skin, often on the borders of the lips or nares - cold sores
    • most (80%) with oral-facial HSV infections have a subclinical primary course
    • the patient can be a carrier for an indefinite period of time
  • Type II Herpes simplex (2)
    • HSV II - is a genital infection and is usually spread by genital contact
    • it is marked by groups of vesicles on the genitalia - genital herpes
• when herpes simplex infection is accompanied by fevers the disease is termed herpes febrilis.
• HSV is a poor immune stimulator but can cause cross reactivity and thus cross resistance. By the age of 40, 85% of the population has antibodies to HSV. This prevalence is reached by age 5 in developing countries.
• both types of herpes simplex, can be spread by touching an unaffected part of the body after touching a herpes lesion
  • most herpes may be transmitted even in the absence of lesions
• the infections may reappear periodically

Click here for example images of this condition

Reference

1. Rechenchoski DZ et al. Herpesvirus: an underestimated virus. Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2017 Mar;62(2):151-156.
2. Whitley R, Baines J. Clinical management of herpes simplex virus infections: past, present, and future. F1000Res. 2018;7