human herpes virus
human herpes virusThe Herpesviridae is a family of DNA viruses that cause diseases in humans and animals. The family name is derived from the Greek herpein ("to creep"), referring to the latent, re-occurring infections typical of this group of viruses. Herpesviridae can cause latent or lytic infections. Human herpesviridaeThere are eight types of viruses in this family known to cause disease in humans. Human Herpesvirus 6. These viruses are (HHV stands for human herpesviruses): HHV-1 = HSV-1 (herpes simplex virus 1): causes oral and/or genital herpes (predominantly orofacial)HHV-2 = HSV-2 (herpes simplex virus 2): causes oral and/or genital herpes (predominantly genital)HHV-3 = VZV (varicella zoster virus): causes chickenpox and shinglesHHV-4 = EBV (Epstein-Barr virus), lymphocryptovirus: causes infectious mononucleosis, Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinomaHHV-5 = CMV (cytomegalovirus): causes infectious mononucleosis, retinitis, etc. HHV-6 = Human B-cell lymphotrophic virus or roseolovirus: causes "sixth disease" (known as roseola infantum or exanthem subitum)HHV-7 = closely related to HHV-6; causes roughly the same symptomsHHV-8 = a type of rhadinovirus = KSHV = Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus: causes Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and some types of multicentric Castleman's diseaseViral structureThe human herpesviruses all share some common properties. One shared property is virus structure - all herpesviruses are composed of relatively large double-stranded, linear DNA genomes encoding 100-200 genes encased within an icosahedral protein cage called the capsid which is itself wrapped in a lipid bilayer membrane called the envelope. This particle is known as the virion. (Medical texts refer to herpesvirus as one |