Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 1637: Rational Design of Live-Attenuated Vaccines against Herpes Simplex Viruses

Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 1637: Rational Design of Live-Attenuated Vaccines against Herpes Simplex Viruses Viruses doi: 10.3390/v13081637 Authors: Brent A. Stanfield Konstantin G. Kousoulas Agustin Fernandez Edward Gershburg Diseases caused by human herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) affect millions of people worldwide and range from fatal encephalitis in neonates and herpes keratitis to orofacial and genital herpes, among other manifestations. The viruses can be shed efficiently by asymptomatic carriers, causing increased rates of infection. Viral transmission occurs through direct contact of mucosal surfaces followed by initial replication of the incoming virus in skin tissues. Subsequently, the viruses infect sensory neurons in the trigeminal and lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia, where they are primarily maintained in a transcriptionally repressed state termed “latency”, which persists for the lifetime of the host. HSV DNA has also been detected in other sympathetic ganglia. Periodically, latent viruses can reactivate, causing ulcerative and often painful lesions primarily at the site of primary infection and proximal sites. In the United States, recurrent genital herpes alone accounts for more than a billion dollars in direct medical costs per year, while there are much higher costs associated with the socio-economic aspects of diseased patients, such as loss of productivity due to mental anguish. Currently, there are no effective FDA-appr...
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research