Herpes viruses

There are 8 different types of Herpes viruses in the family:

Herpes simplex (1+2)

Doesn't the world just seem to light up when you have herpes...

About

• Spread by direct contact
• Commonly sexual
• You can never completely eliminate it, just goes dormant

Pathology

• Cold sores - generally orally and genitally.

Treatment

• Aciclovir

Varicella zoster (3)

This kid has chicken pox.

About

• Shows as an itchy, scabby rash.
• Spread by droplet infection - or by rubbing scabs on you.

Pathology

• Chickenpox - common in kids.
• Shingles - worse in adults, shows along the exact line of a root ganglion

Treatment

• Aciclovir
• Vaccination - mostly for seronegative pregnant people.

Cytomegalovirus (4)

About

• Spread by oral contact
• Also known as an infection in pregnancy.
• You can never completely eliminate it, just goes dormant

Pathology

• Infectious mononucleosis sort of condition (see EBV) - suspect if EBV test negative
• Suspect in hepatitis if hepatitis virus serology comes back negative
• Can be very serious in immunocompromised individuals.

Treatment

• Ganciclovir

Epstein-Barr virus (5)

About

• Known as the kissing virus.
• Incubation period of 1-2 months

Pathology

• Causes infectious mononucleosis (or glandular fever, known as the kissing disease.
• Implicated in causing lymphoma. Try to avoid it.

Treatment

• None available.

Human herpesviruses (6-8)

Basically not that important. 6 and 7 can cause roseola infantum. I don't know what that is. Type 8 can cause Kaposi Sarcoma, which is a big issue in HIV.