Herpes Simplex Virus

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PMicrobiology | An Investigative Report to Detect and Identify Herpes Simplex. | Lab Written Report | Jesseca Kessler 11/22/2011 | The virus Herpes Simplex causes the infections associated with herpes. There are two types of Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV); HSV Type I and HSV Type II. HSV I is the diagnosis for cold sores on and around the lips and sores on the cornea of the eye (Herpes Simplex Keratitis). HSV Type II is the diagnosis of genital herpes. However, cross infection can occur between the two types from infected individuals participating in oral sex. Neonatal herpes is a very serious type of infection that has a 90% mortality rate among newborns. The Herpes Simplex Virus is a highly contagious disease that is spread by direct contact with lesions of an infected person. Herpes Simplex Virus is a virus that remains in latent state inside the ganglia, which is located near the spinal cord. HSV infections are displayed by tiny blisters that are caused by the virus periodically reactivating. The sores usually surface in the same areas that the earlier infection sites occupied. Reactivation of the virus can be provoked by stress, fever, menstruation, or complications of the immune system. More than 80% of adult’s worldwide harbor HSV, but only small numbers experience recurrent infections. The time of incubation after an active infection can last 2 to 12 days. Once the virus is reactivated the duration of an infection can last 7 to 21 days. In some cases, the infection can move to and destroy healthy cells in the adrenal glands, liver, spleen, and lungs. A rare type of fatal herpes, called encephalitis, causes discolored lesions that are soft and appear in the gray and white matter of the brain. Herpes Simplex Virus testing is necessary to detect the virus if genital sores are present and if infants are suspected of having or contracting

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