Lines blurring between human herpes simplex viruses

(University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine) The herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) that commonly infects the mouth, is continuing to mix with the genital herpes virus (HSV-2) to create new, different recombinant versions. Genital co-infection with both viruses could create opportunities for the viruses to recombine. This ability of the viruses to recombine poses problems for vaccine development, due to the risk of a live vaccine for genital herpes mixing with HSV-1 to form an infectious recombinant.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news