What is HSV virus

I believe many of my friends are not very clear about HSV. This is the herpes simplex virus, which is quite harmful to humans. It often invades the junction of the skin and mucous membranes and causes small blisters. The most troublesome thing is that the virus will remain dormant for a long time and recur repeatedly. Therefore, even if it is cured, there is no guarantee that it will not recur. Therefore, for viral infection, you must pay attention to your personal hygiene and stay away from the source of infection. Let’s learn about what the HSV virus is.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) belongs to the a-virus subfamily of the herpesviridae family, and the viral plasmid size is about 180 nanometers. The virus is currently divided into type 1 and type 2 based on antigenic differences. Type 1 is primarily acquired from oral lesions, and type 2 can be isolated from genital lesions. Infection is due to person-to-person contact. The number of people infected from four months to several years after the onset can reach 50-90% of the total population. It is the virus that is most susceptible to invading humans, but only a part of them will develop the disease clinically. This disease can be divided into: oral herpes, herpetic keratitis, herpetic dermatitis, genital herpes, Kaposi's disease, etc., and is sometimes also the cause of meningitis and encephalitis.

In fact, HSV infection is very common in the population. It can be transmitted through direct close contact (including mother-to-child), sexual contact, respiratory tract and other routes. The clinical manifestation is localized clusters of herpes on the mucous membranes or skin, and occasionally severe or even fatal systemic diseases may occur.

HSV can be divided into two types, type 1 and type 2. The genomes of these two types are similar, and the nucleotide sequences have 50% homology, which means they should come from the same ancestor. HSV-1 mainly invades the mucous membranes and broken skin on the face and above the waist, as well as the nervous system. In comparison, HSV-2 is more dirty, mainly invading the area below the waist, including the genitals, genital mucosa and ganglia, causing genital herpes. Ladies and gentlemen, please pay attention to this point: genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease, and infection with genital herpes can increase the risk of HIV infection by 2 to 3 times.