Abstract
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been recognized since early antiquity. The term “herpes” is derived from the Greek word meaning “to creep.” Early descriptions of herpes labialis have been discovered from the time of Hippocrates. 1 The first detailed clinical descriptions of genital herpes were made by Jean Astruc, a physician to the King of France, in 1736. 2 It was not until the early 1920s that laboratory refinements permitted more detailed observations on the pathogenesis of this disease. Work by Löwenstein 3 (confirming earlier unpublished reports by Grüter) demonstrated an infective filterable agent derived from ocular and labial lesions. A similar filterable agent was noted in the saliva of healthy individuals in 1922. 4 In the ensuing years, advances in basic virologic and serologic techniques have contributed much to our understanding of the biologic characteristics of HSV, the mechanisms of latency and reactivation, and potential new therapeutic agents.
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