Talk:Herpes simplex virus/Archive 1

Non-human viruses

Could someone please post an article about EHV, Equine Herpes Virus, and perhaps mention it in the "other viruses" section? There is a German article at http://de.wiki.x.io/wiki/Herpes_(Pferd) that could serve if someone that actually knows German would translate it. I was trying to find more information about EHV-1 due to the outbreak earlier this year at Pimlico. psu256 19:57:59, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Testing

I find that there is a lot of mis-information and ignorance about herpes testing--even among doctors! (one told me that there was no such thing as a type-specific blood test)--but the page doesn't include any information on that. I'd like to see at least general information about type-specific vs. non-type-specific tests, but even better would be information about e.g. cultures vs. DNA tests, etc... People who are getting tested for herpes need more than just "positive" or "negative".

I know... this is Wikipedia, so write it myself... maybe someday I will, but if somebody else wants to go first, please do.

Loraan 19:23, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

nicknames

while i did see that some nicknames were removed (justifiably afaik), i did add "the gift the keeps on giving" as it is in common usage in north america, and i added citation to a credible site to back it up. Slamorte 18:18, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

pics

are there not any available pics of genital herpes? i have a feeling a lot of folks will be turning to this page for an initial and basic self-diagnosis, and a pic of one outbreak on a labia minor and/or one outbreak on a penile shaft would probably be worth the proverbial 1000 words.

and is the major facial outbreak pic really needed? it has shock value, sure, but it is a very rare form of outbreak, and really creepy. Slamorte 18:18, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

I think there should be a pic, you've got to love the shock value :D Wolfmankurd 16:22, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I just started a major edit of this page and put the new handy "inuse" message up. Thalia/Karen 03:19, Dec 21, 2003 (UTC)

I first contracted HSV-1 about 25 years ago. The only effective treatment I've ever found is the amino acid supplement L-Lysine: in large enough doses, it will actually halt an outbreak. In my case, this amounts to 1-2 grams an hour (e.g., 2-500mg pills every half hour), taken as soon as blisters start forming and continuing until the tingling/itching stops (usually 8-12hrs).

I used to take a daily "maintenance" dose of 500mg a day; however, I found this didn't always prevent outbreaks, and when I stopped taking it daily, outbreaks didn't seem to occur any more frequently. Theresa D.

Referencing

Please reference things properly. It is not sufficient to simply cite (Author, Year) in the text - a proper bibliographical reference is necessary or you may as well not reference at all. A lot of the recent material recently added to this page cannot be verified due to poor referencing. Techelf 03:45, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Seroprevalence?

Perhaps the article can explain what this is, since there is no article that is devoted to it. When I hear that 21.6 percent of the US population is seroprevalent to Herpes, it makes me wonder.Cornince 02:33, 25 July 2005 (UTC)

Seroprevalence is the number of poeple in a population who have antibodies (in this case, against HSV) in their blood serum. If you take 1000 Americans, and draw their blood, and measure the presence of antibodies to HSV, 216 will have them, and 784 won't. - Nunh-huh 02:37, 25 July 2005 (UTC)

This statement is not backed up: Also, since 60-90% of the population is seropositive for HSV-1

If the NIH and references linked-to by it are acceptable sources these may at least back up 50-80% --69.183.34.24 07:18, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

• MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia - Herpes labialis
• American Social Health Association - Herpes Resource Center

Fact Checking

Eggs are not known for either high arginine or poor lysine/arginine ratio. In fact, eggs are considered moderately protective against outbreaks. I removed egg whites from the "triggers" section and replaced it with something a lot more antagonistic to lysine...walnuts. Egg White 33 206 195 1.056 Walnuts 100 466 2520 0.185 http://www.herpes.com/Nutrition.shtml

Why does Cold Sore Redirect to Herpes?

because cold sores are caused by the Herpes Simplex HSV-1 virus. Quazywabbit 09:15, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

I thought it could be HSV-2 and other viruses also. --Gbleem 07:23, 24 December 2005 (UTC)

Many people (myself included, until recently, um, disambiguated...) believe that Canker Sores are cold sores. Canker sores are usually inside the mouth, while cold sores are outside. Perhaps some mention of this confusion could be made, with a pointer to Mouth Ulcer or Canker_sore. User:Zirconscot 12 January 2006

A lot of people use the term Canker to refer to any kind of mouth sore. Common terms just aren't as specific as medical ones. --Gbleem 22:50, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

While it may be the case that cold sores are caused by HSV-1, many readers of wikipedia, such as myself, aren't as much interested in the medical perspective of the larger general class of HSV. I had a few questions that I wanted answered about cold sores that this page doesn't address: Do the active ingredients in products such as Carmex actually help or hinder healing of cold sores? Is this treatment inconclusive? What's the process by which these active ingredients work to help reduce or prevent cold sores? These questions aren't answered on the current page... it would be nice to have a section on Cold Sores or to not redirect the page from Cold Sore and instead link from that page to this page for the more general discussion of HSV. This is what seems to be done with the page on Mouth Ulcer. Joseph Lorenzo Hall 04:52, 24 December 2005 (UTC)

well, i think it would be pretty redundant to have a wikipage on cold sore, and another on HSV-1, when in fact they are the same thing. so what i nack the suggest for creating a section in HSV for "cold sores and cold sore treatment." Slamorte 18:18, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

Genital herpes can be contracted if someone with a cold sore performs oral sex on his or her partner. The HSV-1(cold sore) is transferred to the genital area. Since the body cannot distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2, the person receiving oral sex could have a genital herpes outbreak. Unfortunately, the person is then infected. However, since it was transmitted from a cold sore, it is possible to have HSV-1 on the genital area. The breakouts will not be as severe and painful as someone's with HSV-2. monoxide_x 12:38, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Content in wrong location

Someone pasted the following text into the section "Neonatal herpes simplex". This information doesn't belong in that section; rather it is an overview of the whole condition. The information seems reasonably valid, but it is largely redundant to content already in the article. So, I am removing it from the main page and moving it here. But if people want to go through it and see if there is useful information to splice back into the main article, I wouldn't object to that. --Arcadian 02:04, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Text removed

The following are correct statements about herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and are known in the general medical and scientific community:

a) Between 7% and 33% of the adult population has HSV-2;

b) HSV-2 has a characteristic ability to establish latency;

c) Symptomatic recurrences have been associated with

• Physical stress;
• Emotional Stress;
• Exposure to ultra-violet light;
• Tissue damage;
• Suppression of immune system;

d) Incidence at delivery is reported from 0.01% to 0.39% for all women,regardless of past history of genital herpes.

e) Risk factors include:

• Maternal true primary infection at delivery creates highest risk of infection to infant;
• Rupture of amniotic membranes longer than 6 hours before delivery with active infection in mother, is associated with increased risk of infection in infant;
• Fetal scalp monitor can be site of viral entry into the child;

f) Incidence of intrapartum infection is estimated at 85% to 90% of all neonatal cases;

g) The main risk of HSV-2 transmission to the neonate is at term during vaginal delivery; perinatal infection accounts for approximately 85% of all cases of neonatal herpes. The most common source of HSV in perinatal infection is the birth canal. As the neonate passes through the birth canal, it comes into contact with infected secretions; the site of entry for the virus is usually the eye, nasopharynx or an abrasion secondary to scalp electrodes or forceps. There are various sites of HSV shedding in the birth canal, and it is likely that cervicovaginal shedding poses a greater risk than that from the vulva because the neonate is in close contact with the vaginal mucosa for several hours, but is only in light and transient contact with the vulva during delivery. Any break in the in the infant’s skin may increase the risk of neonatal HSV infection.

h) The rate of asymptomatic shedding at labour measured by HSV culture varies from 0.35% to 1.4% and is no higher than at other times in the pregnancy.

i) HSV-2 infection in infected mothers is most often localized to the genitals

j) CNS infection (encephalitis): Approximately one-third of all infants with neonatal herpes have CNS infection only. It is thought that this represents axonal transmission of virus to the CNS. In contrast, in infants with disseminated infection, the brain is probably seeded by a blood-borne route which results in multiple areas of necrosis. In infants with CNS infection who are not treated, the mortality rate is 50%. The long term prognosis is poor with most survivors suffering from neurological impairment.

k) Treatment:

• Perinatally acquired HSV-2 is amenable to treatment by antiviral agents.
• Acyclovir is the anti-viral agent of choice.
• Without treatment with anti-viral agents, 70% of infants presenting with HSV-2 localized to the skin, eye and/or mouth will develop involvement of the central nervous system or disseminated infection.
• The possibility (without proof by viral isolation) of HSV-2 infection to a neonate requires aggressive, immediate treatment with intravenous acyclovir.
• Acyclovir is safe to use during pregnancy.
• Acyclovir is safe for use in newborns.

Community links

I'd like to add links to online communities for HSV-1 and HSV-2 where people can get moral support as well as information, but the added links have been removed. How come?

If you've got a website you'd like to add, feel free to propose it here. On the highly trafficked medical pages, we get a lot of unscrupulous marketers trying to put in links promoting their products, so that's why we now have the warning at the top of the external links section, asking people to bring external links to the talk page before adding it. If nobody here objects after a week, then go ahead and add it. --Arcadian 22:00, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

I've taken a closer look at the links you tried to add, and I might have been too hasty. I looked at the first one, and saw it was created only a month ago and didn't have many entries on it. However, the second one, though it's only a few months older, does have a significant number of posts. In any case, while I'd object to the first link going in, I'll abstain on the issue of the second link. --Arcadian 22:08, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

I removed a duplicate in the links section, and added a couple of herpes dating sites. I'd like to add a couple more "community" links, unless anyone objects:

• Sex and Dating With Herpes in London
• Thoughts and Meditations on Holistic Treatment for Herpes
• Herpes Doctor Public Forums

Eye

Boy, I feel sorry for the person with the eye infection! How's he going to be able to close his eye now? 4.159.113.21 01:36, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

It goes away, and I guess they can shut it as normal?Wolfmankurd 16:23, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Unproven cures?

Well, the person who wrote this article sure enough didnt do any research into the effectiveness of DMSO. There's been plently of articles and research done indicating DMSO can enter a cell and inhibit the herpes virus. For instance, the website: http://freedomantiviral.addr.com/dmso.htm , shows such evidence. Just do an internet search. Then, if the author did any research at all, they would have also discovered that thousands of people worldwide (not in the USA) use DMSO for other treatments, without any side effects and prescibed by doctors! For all we know the author is in with the medical establishment and pharmacutical companies spreading dis-information to the public. Regardless of what's said, DMSO is effective and has been proven to inhibit the herpes virus in clinical medical studies.

I object to this article's neutrality, that all of the treatments listed require prescription medications. Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca Oil), from the Body Shop is very effective in treating both herpes of the lips and genital herpes. Gilliamjf 05:34, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

transmission

Hello From Experience!!!! I had a cold sore when I was younger on my lip. I believe HSV1.. later in life HSV2 contracted through sex. intercourse. Immediately apparent in two spots, reverted to just the one main place.. later by accident, I transferred it to my nose, now it has appeared in several different places inside and outside nostrils and once further toward my lip. It's VERY important to me that I am fastidiously careful not to let it near my eye. I believe that either of the forms can cause blindness if the virus reaches the cornea. If an eye infection does occur one must be fastidious in keeping it calm. use an ongoing low dose repressant to avoid outbreaks. Fingers can spread the virus during sex just as much as any other contact so it s disconcerting that EVERYONE is so hung up on what touches what. When I have an outbreak I only touch the sores with something else and I use anti-bacterial soap a lot. People are not always responsible for how they touch themselves when they're asleep either, especcially when something is itchy, so please take this information and share it. :)

It's not really clear in the article. Can Herpes be transmitted from the mouth to the genitals? (during oral sex)

Yes it can. It's rare for HSV1 oral to be transmitted to the genitals but it can happen, especially if the "giver" has a cold-sore at the time. HSV2 oral is rare, but I would assume it could be more easily transmitted to the genital area, since HSV2 "prefers" the genital area. By the same token, I would assume a genital HSV1 infection could be spread to the oral area relatively easily, but HSV2 genital would not be so easily spread to the oral area. I'm basing these assumptions on educated guess-work rather than hard evidence. If anyone has any evidence it would be good to get it onto this page.

I read somewhere on line that infection with one type of the virus in one location affords some immunity to infection from the other type of the virus AT THAT LOCATION. Since most people by adulthood have acquired HSV-1 at the mouth (even if they don't know it), the thinking is that that makes it more difficult to acquire an HSV-2 infection AT THE MOUTH. On the other hand, with the rise of the practice of oral sex, HSV-1 infection at the genitals is supposed to be increasing. Does anybody know if this is correct? [Stephen Kosciesza]140.147.160.78 17:06, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

Although well intended, these sentences were annoying to me; "Women are more susceptible to acquiring genital HSV-2 than men. On an annual basis, without the use of antivirals or condoms, the transmission risk from infected male to female is approximately 8-10%. This is believed to be due to the increased exposure of mucosal tissue to potential infection sites. Transmission risk from infected female to male is approximately 4-5% annually." This is not helpful unless you know the frequency of contact during the year of this study. Could the risk of infection be clarified?"

Can anyone commment on the concept of autoinnoculation? Also, I have heard conflicting reports from MD's regarding how many times you can be infected. One stated that you can only get HSV1 and HSV2 one time each, meaning you would be immune to exposures from others once infected with both type I and II, yet another stated that you could be infected as many times as you were exposed to either. If the latter is correct, during a break out of one type, is it expected that it would occur at all sites of infection of that type, or just be isolated to the one area?

Here is a good article Once is enough for Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1). Killer Swath 18:48, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

abstinence prevention

I have an issue with this sentence in the article: "Abstinence, including from kissing/oral sex, is another way to prevent contracting or spreading this disease." this isn't really a method of prevention. certainly if you're abstinent you won't get herpes but this is like saying, the way to avoid a car crash is to not drive, it's not useful information.Vicarious 22:59, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

I completely agree. This isn't helpful information at all, it's bordering on the stigmatic. "Abstinence from kissing"? Seriously? That means that I can't let my grandmother kiss me, right? Can I kiss my kids? What about if I haven't been diagnosed and don't have symptoms, should I not kiss anyone, just in case? Ditto for sex. It's daft.

Feel free to have sex with anyone, but on a non-herpies related basis, please don't have sex with your gran or kids. :D Wolfmankurd 16:27, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Spammy Links

I'd like to suggest removing these 3 links. They're spammy, and dont provide any good quality information.

• Herpes Treatments
• Herpes Information Site
• Herpes Coldsores Treatment

Any objections?

How useful are these?

And I would like to add the links to the http: // icd9.chrisendres.com/ website are not very useful at all, because they just come up with a restatement of the same. Is there a BETTER medical dictionary or website than this one? Surely!

Alzheimer's, APP and the path of the virus away from the ganglion

"Hypothetically, by interfering with the HDAC enzymes' effectiveness, it may be possible to block the virus's ability to hide" was pure gold, because it's carefully written but seems to be the only thing I could find anyway about full cures. It is also useful for similar virii that hide in the ganglion.

In addition to this I have found this information, but I am not knowledgeable enough to add the information to the article in a coherent and careful manner.

It is from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031107055048.htm

The article relates a low link to Alzheimer's. In this study the action of the virus is described as moving AWAY from the ganglion by `APP`. This could be useful information for someone. Jago25 98 18:13, 19 April 2006 (UTC)jago25_98 at hotmail

"Limitation" to HSV I and II

HSV I and II are the only forms of Herpes Simplex Virus that are in both colloquial and specialist nomenclature referred to as Herpes Simplex Virus. I understand the idea behind wanting to list all the other forms of Herpes Simplex Virus but the truth is you would end up listing the majority of the Herpesviridae phylogeny going far beyond eight. If you feel that a form of HSV needs attention or there is already a sub heading within HSV for further explanation. From Steadmen's to A.D.A.M. I cannot find expansive notation for anything outside of HSV I and II under any HSV heading and I can hardly see making the current redirect for something as simple as “Herpes” into anything that would surpass them.

Acstbandit 14:49, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

1 or 2

"HSV asymptomatic shedding is believed to occur on 2.9% of days while on antiviral therapy, versus 10.8% of days without. Shedding is known to be more frequent within the first 12 months of acquiring HSV-2." Is this HSV 1 or HSV 2? --Gbleem 22:51, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Eye herpes

Either forms of the herpes can affect the eye, (as well as other soft tissues that we know about, the labia of the vagina, the penis (right down to and including the scrotum hairy or not), the anus, the mouth and lips, the skin around the mouth the nose inside and out. I've never seen a list officially myself but I have had HSV2 for 5 years, I observed it on the person who had it before me I've researched and I know this to be true).

I've seen it appear in a lower eyelid and it looks like a stye, or a boil in the eyelid. Its painful in such a sensitive area and difficult to treat. CARE must be taken to repress the virus to avoidid it travelling into the eye and affecting the cornea, which could potentially cause permanent damage.

Anyone know anything about eye herpes?

What would you like to know?PedEye1 16:20, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

Prevelance

There should really be references made to the prevelance of the virus.

re: eye herpes

see above

i don't know how to add stuff to wiki properly so i'm just putting it here cos its more of a comment cos i don't know how if its 100% accurate

herpes cna occur in the eye i believe its called (or causes?) dendritic ulcers. it can cause pain in the eye or distorted vision, it is treatable and can be reaccuring, much like cold sores i guess untreated it can cause permanent scarring,

i am not sur eif it would be classified under hsv1 or 2 or somethign completly difffernt

Transmission

is it possible to get herpes from drinking out of the same bottle of coke?

YES Very likey if you've got a sore at the time. Unlikely but still a tiny tiny bit possible if you haven't

Please see above in transmissions.

Something not made clear

The article says that the disease is currently not curable. It also states that a cold-sore on the lip is caused by the same virus as genital herpes.

It is not made clear if the virus is, therefore, with a person for life after they contract it - and therefore if, anyone who has ever had a cold sore on their lip, is technically a life-long herpes sufferer who is also prone to bouts of genital outbreak!

This seems to be what the article implies, but.. I am left thinking "surely not!". Can someone please clarify this, first here and then in the article? EuroSong ^talk 12:03, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

No, you would not have genital outbreaks, because cold sores are Oral Herpes, not genital herpes.Apofisu 19:04, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. This should be clarified in the article. EuroSong ^talk 21:25, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Actually its not that simple.. both can potentially be spread. And both you have for life. But sometimes they fade away and remain dormant forever. When you get older it's less likely that you'll get either.

As far as I know HSV1 goes away sooner and is less aggressive/???

They don't "go away" they just remain dormant, it's common that small children will be prone to them and then never get a re-occurance when older. Wolfmankurd 16:31, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

All of the Herpes Viruses live in you forever once you get them. That includes the Chicken Pox virus, which sometimes comes back to cause shingles in people when they hit their 60's. HSV-1 and HSV-2 live forever in your nerves. In the case of HSV-1, it tends to inhabit the Trigeminal ganglia, but it can infect other ganglia. HSV-2 recurs 10x as frequently as HSV-1, but both set up life-long latent infection. ManVhv 19:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

added section on ocular herpes

I'm not a doctor nor a medical researcher, but I am a long-time sufferer of ocular herpes, so I wrote this section from what my doctor told me and the research I did when I was diagnosed. However, I don't have any up-to-date references. Can someone help out? Rimi 11:09, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Disclosure to new partners

I have a big issue with the following section, but I didn't want to edit it myself (being a complete newbie to Wikipedia.)

Doctors at some hospitals and health clinics actually advise men not to tell their partners[citation needed] unless the woman is pregnant, reasoning that the psychological effects of herpes far outweigh the physical effects in adults. This advice is still controversial, especially as genital herpes affects women significantly worse than it does men.

"still controversial" (as opposed to not controversial later on...?) A doctor advising a patient not to tell their partner they might be giving them a virus is not controversial, it's unethical. (I don't know anything about the legal issues but my personal opinnion would be that any doctor giving this kind of advice should have their medical license revoked.) And there isn't even a source sited for this. Could somebody please remove this bit?

SarahAM 21:55, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't believe that this can be happening!. It is most certainly a disgrace to the medical world of that company, and in my opinion it should be reported to an authority or a news broadcaster. It's not a logical reasoning at all, its a gender divide, making a sexist assumption on behalf of women. In this day it's outrageous behaviour.

It is absolutely unethical for a physician to tell someone not to disclose their sexually transmitted infection (STI) status. A subtler point is that persons are infectious at times, even if they have no symptoms or signs of recurrence. Also, many persons with HSV-2 have no idea they have the infection. Testing and education in addition to ethical behaviour are vital to reducing transmission. Daily antiviral therapy use by the potentially transmitting partner can also reduce transmission within couples (New England Journal of Medicine 2004 vol 350 pages 11-20).

• I've received related advice for HSV-1. I identified facial herpes on my partner and asked a doctor for advice on protecting myself and what to say to them. The doctor's advice was that I shouldn't tell them that they have herpes, but that I should just take basic measures to protect myself (given that I'm probably an asymptomatic carrier anyway). His view was that the idea does more harm as a passion killer than the disease itself can do. It may be that parts of the medical community show the same kind of resignation to HSV-2 as to HSV-1. --ToobMug 21:59, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

It's common, as was not telling a patient they had cancer a fair few years ago. The probability that you have also come into contant with the virus is so high and the stigma with having herpies is so great it maybe the better option not too. Wolfmankurd 16:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

It's common for people to not tell their partners, or for doctors to recommend not telling? I find not telling potential partners reprehensible. You are taking away that person's right to choose the course of their own life. Maybe they'll take the risk with you, maybe they won't. That is for them to decide. Just because the stigma is so great, is not reason to tell. If you don't tell, and your partner does get it, then you have added to the statistics, and passed the stigma on to them.

Herpes simplex and canker sores

I am a bit confused by what this page says about the relationship between HSV and canker sores (aphtous ulcers). It dismisses any link whatsover. The herpes diagnosis service which can be accessed through a link at the bottom of the article (http://www.herpesdiagnosis.com/pregnancy.html) says that first episode of HSV involves: "fever, malaise, myalgias, inability to eat, irritability, and cervical adenopathy, may last from 3 to 14 days. Fever lasting from 2 to 7 days and swollen lymph nodes in the neck are common. Lesions may involve the hard and soft palate, gingival, tongue, lip, and facial area. HSV-1 infection of the pharynx usually results in fluid filled or ulcerative lesions of the lower pharynx and/or tonsils. Lesions on the tongue, inside the cheek, or gums may occur later in the course in one-third of cases. The lesions rapidly rupture, become ulcerative, and last approximately 12 days with the number of vesicles peaking at about 6 days and gradually diminishing. The lesions can be very painful and make swallowing uncomfortable, leading to other clinical symptoms of drooling or difficulties in drinking and eating. Dehydration secondary to poor fluid intake leads to hospitalization in a small percentage of affected children."

I am not a specialist but to me lesions of soft palate, gingival, tongue are just other words to describe canker sores.

Canker sores are generally idiopathic (no-one knows what causes them). In contrast, cold sores are caused by the herpes virus. Lesion just means that there's a hole or opening in the tissues. With canker sores, no-one knows what causes them. With HSV, the HSV causes them. Same symptoms (a lesion in the skin), different causes. WLU 19:25, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Simplex explanation

What exactly is a simplex virus? Is it called that because of its geometry or for another reason? It might be helpful to explain this or link to an explanation within this article. --GentlemanGhost 17:27, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Treatment

Who wrote the treatment topic because it needs to be fixed and is very simple and not written well. needs to show medical options not just some supernova treatment....

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Paulm27 (talk • contribs) 03:53, 12 December 2006

Please elaborate on what is wrong and what needs to be done to fix it :-) David Ruben ^Talk 03:17, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

The edit you are talking about was vandalism and has since been reverted. WLU 12:12, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Two articles one topic

What is the difference between Herpes simplex and Herpes simplex virus? Should they be merged? Killer Swath 19:20, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

Also, discussion about merging the two topics can take place here (on Herpes simplex's talk page). Killer Swath 19:20, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

Oppose merge. Subjects are distinct, detailed, and of interest to different audiences. See HIV and AIDS. --Arcadian 00:33, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Name of the species

Why is the first part of the species name not that of the genus? Doesn't this break the rules of taxonomy? Jeff Knaggs 15:47, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Herpes simplex cure - suggestion adding in external links

I discovered this website some time ago, which has a very easy and safe method to cure herpes with the use of Zinc explained on it. The url is http://www.the-cures.net/

Many people would probably find this information very useful and of great help, so I suggest the url be added in the external links section of the herpes simplex virus section, so people can get to know about it.

I've not had any outbreaks myself in 6 months now thanks to the information I found on that site, and I'm very greatful to have been able to find this cure. There is also other methods described, and its backed up with lots of research and information as well as peoples personal experiences with such treatments. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Darkbreed (talk • contribs) 17:36, 4 January 2007 (UTC).

The link is unfortunately a blog site which generally should not be used as an external link (see WP:EL). However I grant it is to a reprint of a reliable source paper that the author had written. This might suggest it would be better to cite the original paper, but use the link as a reprint url:

• Eby G, Halcomb W (1985). "Use of topical zinc to prevent recurrent herpes simplex infection: review of literature and suggested protocols" (Reprint). Med Hypotheses. 17 (2): 157–65. PMID 3897803.

The real problem comes with the researcher having to speculate on the blog-like site how to move from experimental studies to clinical practice and untested formulations (the blog site is full orf caveats and warnings about trying to self-medicate with self-prepared preparations), which hardly makes for it as a reliable source of peer reviewed information. I therefore would be very cautious about "recommending" this link. It might be better to expand on the article's current minimal mention of zinc, using this citation to support the (I agree valid) line of research enquiry and perhaps also the more recent review such as Gaby A (2006). "Natural remedies for Herpes simplex". Altern Med Rev. 11 (2): 93–101. PMID 16813459.. However we would need to add some balance (NPOV) as to why zinc is not widely used, for example:

• Bourne N, Stegall R, Montano R, Meador M, Stanberry L, Milligan G (2005). "Efficacy and toxicity of zinc salts as candidate topical microbicides against vaginal herpes simplex virus type 2 infection". Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 49 (3): 1181–3. PMID 15728922.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - whose abstract reads "Zinc salt solutions administered as topical microbicides provided significant protection against herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in a mouse vaginal challenge model. However, at the therapeutic concentration, the salt solutions caused sloughing of sheets of vaginal epithelial cells. These observations limit the utility of zinc salts as microbicides and suggest that the application of zinc solutions to mucosal surfaces has the potential to cause damage that might increase susceptibility to secondary infections at a later time."'

For now the inclusion of the the-cures link fails to improve the article, and indeed seems to be POV pushing which is not supported, or at least needs balancing, with rest of published knowledge. David Ruben ^Talk 03:03, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

type 1 vs type 2

unfortunately, this article doesn't differentiate between herpes type 1 and herpes type 2. while both can be responsible for genital and oral outbreaks, most typically, type 1 causes oral; type 2 causes genital.

because of the possibility of both, it is wise to note that a person with either type should always be careful. (ie, not engaging in oral sex during a cold sore outbreak.)

speaking from experience, i've gotten oral cold sores since i can remember, but have never had to deal with genital herpes. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Verde4 (talk • contribs) 07:07, 17 January 2007 (UTC).

cold sore triggers

i've found several resources that have pointed to sun exposure as a major trigger of oral cold sores. some other triggers, from my experience: sun, wind, cold weather, dry weather, and stress, particularly crying. i've found that no matter what, the best way to prevent cold sores is to ALWAYS have a tube of SPF 15+ chap stick on me... yes, i am addicted to chap stick. whenever i get a cold sore outbreak, i can always think to a couple days before when my lips felt dry, windburned, sunburned, etc. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Verde4 (talk • contribs) 07:12, 17 January 2007 (UTC).

herpes cure, already??

furthermore, (yes, i know this is my third post), am i not alone in being pissed that there isn't more research being conducted for a cure for herpes? i realize it is not life-threatening, but it surely has a negative effect on one's quality of life. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Verde4 (talk • contribs) 07:20, 17 January 2007 (UTC).

I would be interested in forming a charitable foundation to fund Herpes research and retain ownership of the Intellectual Property. ManVhv 19:11, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Tampering with the page

Hi, Someone appears to have tampered with the page. In the first paragraph, there is the sentence "When there is this outbreak, you will be fucked in the ears." This is my first time contributing to Wikipedia, so forgive me if I'm wrong, but I tried to edit the page to remove it, but the text doesn't appear. I'm assuming you should be able to edit and remove this text? Seems to me like someone has tampered with it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.173.148.83 (talk) 04:08, 28 January 2007 (UTC). It is still thereCtm18584 04:49, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

Hi, thanks for the note. I think the reason you could not find that vandalism is that you may not have clicked on "edit this page" at the top of the article. The \[edit\] links within the body are for the subsections. A way to edit the introductory sections is the "Edit this page" tab. Also, I reverted the vandalism. ManVhv 17:44, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Herpes Pipelines

Herpes pipelines

Could someone please do the legwork and include companies with HSV-1/2 research, such as: AlphaVax, Antigenics, Biovex, Cytogenix, Juvaris, etc...?

There are more. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.115.11.52 (talk) 05:46, 4 February 2007 (UTC).

Go for it! ManVhv 17:44, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

PLEASE RE-WORD -- confusion over Cold Sores vs. Canker Sores

The line, "An infection on the lips is commonly known as a "cold sore" or "fever blister"; not to be confused with a canker sore, which is not caused by the HSV virus." IS CONFUSING ITSELF! The part -- "[comma] which is not caused by the HSV virus" -- referes to "cold sores" or refers to "canker sores", or both? Please reword this awkward sentence!

The whole damned article is about HSV and cold sores! Wolfmankurd 16:36, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Triggers

Has any research been done into a common trigger for cold sores? Several articles I read suggest that sun exposure and stress may contributing factors to the reactivation of the dormant virus, yet there seems little scientific evidence for either. Secondly, why can some people have close contact with a person suffering from a cold sore yet never develop one of their own? Red Zora 03:29, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Check out Herpes simplex page - lots of duplication, for some reason the two never got merged. WLU 03:49, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Myth About Coldsores

Has anyone heard of the myth that you get a coldsore when your body is fighting off a cold? It's obviously not true, but I was wondering if anyone knew the origins of the myth, and if it would be worth mentioning in the article.--Jcvamp 07:46, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Probably relates to HSV coming out when individuals are stressed or otherwise sick. Check out this section of the other article. Unfortunately unreferenced. WLU 18:19, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Chance of symptoms is increased with a weakened immune system.Wolfmankurd 16:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Virus longevity

I think something should be said about its ability to survive outside the host, more than 'it dies quickly'