What types of human herpes viruses are there?

The human body is one of the organisms with the least protection. Due to the lack of hair coverage and the thin skin, some virulent viruses can easily break through the skin and invade the body, causing great harm to people. For example, the herpes virus is an extremely virulent virus with a very strong ability to infect. Almost any contact with the skin can lead to infection. There are many types of herpes viruses, but they are basically only transmitted between people, so they are called herpes viruses. Let’s take a look at the types of human herpes viruses. I hope that people with similar symptoms can self-diagnose.

1. Herpes simplex virus (HSV)

After infecting the host, HSV often establishes a latent infection in nerve cells. After activation, asymptomatic shedding of toxins will occur, maintaining the transmission chain in the population, and the cycle repeats itself over and over again. The disease is self-limiting and will heal itself in about 1-2 weeks. The goal of treatment is to prevent the next recurrence.

2. Varicella-zoster virus (human herpesvirus 3, HHV-3)

The virus causes two infectious diseases, chickenpox or shingles.

3. Epstein-Barr virus (human herpesvirus type 4)

It is carried by more than 95% of adults, is the pathogen of infectious mononucleosis, and is closely related to the occurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and childhood lymphoma. It is listed as one of the human tumor viruses that may cause cancer. EB virus is mainly transmitted through saliva, so good personal hygiene habits should be developed. For prevention, you can also get vaccinated against EB virus.

4. Cytomegalovirus (Human herpesvirus 5, HCMV)

HCMV infection is very common in the population, but most infections are not clinically apparent, and most people acquire immunity through HCMV infection during childhood or adolescence. In pregnant women, primary or new HCMV infection can cause intrauterine infection or perinatal infection in neonates, which can lead to fetal malformation, mental retardation or developmental delay, etc. In severe cases, it can cause a systemic infection syndrome called cytomegalovirus inclusion disease.

5. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)

A small amount of the virus can be detected in the saliva of most adults, but because its replication is small and the process is slow, except for those with weakened immunity (such as congenital immunodeficiency, AIDS, long-term use of immunosuppressants, etc.), the vast majority of people infected with HHV-6 will not develop obvious symptoms throughout their lives, that is, they will be latent carriers of HHV-6 for life.

In a small number of infants and young children with low immunity, infection may cause roseola infantum (also known as infantile roseola). The clinical features are acute fever, upper respiratory tract symptoms and rash. The course of the disease is usually 3 to 5 days. The prognosis is good and most cases have no sequelae.