Infecciones por el virus del grupo herpes

Abstract

The Herpesviridae family includes nine subtypes that are pathogenic in human beings. They belong to three subfamilies: α-herpesvirus (herpes simplex 1 and 2, varicella zoster, and herpes B virus); β-herpesvirus (cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus 6, and human herpesvirus 7), and γ-herpesvirus (Epstein-Barr virus and human herpesvirus 8). All herpesviruses have in common the ability to establish latency and reactive in situations of immunosuppression. Primary herpes simplex 1 and 2 infection remains latent in regional nerve ganglions and has periodic reactivations. It has a lower morbidity than the original infection. The primary varicella zoster virus infection is responsible for varicella whereas the reactivations manifest as shingles. Herpesvirus type 6A gives rise to encephalitis in adults and herpesvirus type 6B gives rise to sudden exanthem in children. Herpesvirus type 8 is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, multicentric Castleman disease, and body cavity lymphoma.