Herpes infected humans before they were human

(University of California - San Diego) Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the evolutionary origins of human herpes simplex virus -1 and -2, reporting that the former infected hominids before their evolutionary split from chimpanzees 6 million years ago while the latter jumped from ancient chimpanzees to ancestors of modern humans -- Homo erectus -- approximately 1.6 million years ago.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news