Herpes skin and mucous membranes - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

There are more than 80 types of herpes viruses known. Herpes is sick all life on planet Earth, except for mushrooms and some species of algae. Out of 80 types of herpes, in a person, only 9 can cause disease. Herpes virus has specificity, i.e.a person can not get sick with herpes, which pigs suffer, and a pig can not get infected from a person. The exception is the simian herpes virus.

Approximately 90% of the world's population is infected with with herpes simplex .In 5% of the population there are manifestations of herpes, while the others have asymptomatic carriage. Primary infection with the virus of simple herpes usually occurs in early childhood, but sometimes later. In most children, manifestations of infection are limited to single eruptions around the mouth. Occasionally, acute stomatitis develops with a pronounced change in the general state. Herpes can "pop out" and on the lips, and on the nose, and on the body, and on the genitals( genital herpes).

The causative agent of herpes on the lips, herpes zoster and genital herpes is the herpes simplex virus ( HSV).

Physico-chemical properties of the herpes virus : kills under the influence of temperature, at 500C for 30 minutes. At 37.50C - for 20 hours. Can remain indefinitely for a long time at a temperature of -700C.Lyophilization is well tolerated. Resistant to sequential freezing and thawing, to ultrasonic radiation. In the saliva in the storage interval up to 30 minutes the virus retains its viability. On wet sterile medical cotton wool and gauze - during the entire time of their drying( up to 6 hours).On average, the virus is "viable" in the environment at normal temperature and humidity for 24 hours.

The above data on the death of a virus refer to an invitro or laboratory condition. To kill the virus inside the body with the help of existing methods it is unrealistic to ( hypertension, removal of nervous ganglia, destruction of ganglia by introducing chemicals into them, ozonation of blood, etc.).Attempts of such treatment can lead to profound disability of the patient or even his death.

Herpes simplex viruses are inactivated by: X-rays and ultraviolet rays, alcohol, organic solvents, phenol, formalin, proteolytic enzymes, bile, common disinfectants.

Infection is transmitted mainly through contact( through kisses, shared dishes, a common towel, during sexual intercourse), and also airborne, and a transplacental pathway of infection( from mother to fetus during labor) is possible.

The virus enters the body through the skin or mucous membranes, then enters the regional lymph nodes, blood and internal organs. The virus spreads through the blood and the nerve trunks, by the way it is in the nervous ganglia that the virus remains for life, periodically causing an exacerbation with a decrease in immunity, with overheating or hypothermia, under stressful situations, with a number of diseases( eg, pneumonia, influenza, malaria,), with gastrointestinal disorders, during the intake of certain medications, after surgical interventions.

May be affected by the herpes virus of the following organs:

1. skin;
2. eyes( keratitis, conjunctivitis);
3. mucous membranes( face and genital organs);
4. central nervous system( meningitis, encephalitis).

The way of infection with herpes:

sexual, airborne( very rare), with the primary infection, transmission of the virus through the placenta is possible.