Figure 2.

Structure of herpes simplex viruses. Left: Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of HSV-2 infected Vero cells. The red arrow indicates the four main elements in the HSV-2 virion. An electron opaque core containing the viral DNA, an icosahedral capsid surrounding the capsid (green), the tegument that surrounds the capsid (orange) and an outer lipid bilayer envelope (blue). Right: Schematic illustration of HSV. The HSV virion is an enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus (~154 kpb) that encodes >80 genes; the viral genome is enclosed in an icosahedral capsid of ~125 nm surrounded by a complex mesh of viral proteins termed the tegument. HSV is enveloped with a lipid membrane that harbors numerous glycoproteins that protrude from the virion surface.