Table 1.
Subfamily | Name | Synonym | Genome length | Primary target | cell | Pathophysiology | Site of latency | Means of spread |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
α | HHV-1 | Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) | 135 472 bp | Mucoepithelial | Oral and genital herpes, as well as other herpes simplex infections (gingivostomatitis, keratitis, and dermal whitlows, encephalitis). | Neuron | Close contact (oral or sexually transmitted infection) | |
HHV-2 | Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) | 154 746 bp | Mucoepithelial | Neuron | Close contact (oral or sexually transmitted disease) | |||
HHV-3 | Varicella zoster virus (VZV) | 124 884 bp | Mucoepithelial | Chickenpox and shingles | Neuron | Respiratory and close contact | ||
β | HHV-5 | Cytomegalovirus (hCMV) | 229 354 bp | Monocyte, lymphocyte, and epithelial cells | Congenital cytomegalovirus infection (when symptomatic) causes hepatosplenomegaly, retinitis, rash, and central nervous system involvement. Infectious mononucleosis-like syndrome. Immunocompromised hosts may develop life-threatening disseminated disease involving the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, liver, retina, and central nervous system. |
Monocyte, lymphocyte | Saliva, urine, milk | |
HHV-6A HHV-6B | Roseolovirus, Herpes lymphotropic virus | 159 321 bp | T cells | Associated with exanthem subitem (roseola) and with rejection of transplanted kidneys. | T cells | Close contact (saliva) or respiratory | ||
HHV-7 | 144 861 bp | T cells | T cells | |||||
γ | HHV-4 | Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) | 171 823 bp | B cells and epithelial cells | Causative agent for Infectious mononucleosis. Associated with: Burkitt’s lymphoma, Hodgkin diseases post-transplant lymphoproliferative syndrome, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a subtype of gastric carcinoma. |
B cells | Close contact (saliva), transfusions, tissue transplant | |
HHV-8 | Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) | 138 146 bp | Lymphocyte and other cells | Kaposi’s sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, some types of multicentric Castleman’s disease | B cells | Close contact (sexual), saliva |