The Herpesviridae family comprises enveloped viruses with a double-stranded, linear DNA as a genome . The representatives of the Herpesviridae are among the largest and most complex viruses in terms of their genome and morphology . The currently 170 or so virus species have been discovered in a large number of vertebrates , including mammals , birds , reptiles and fish, as well as a few invertebrates. The herpes viruses are usually strictly host-specific and can cause various diseases in which the viruses multiply in lymphocytes , nerve cells or epidermal cells. A distinctive feature of the Herpesviridae is their ability to persist ; That is, after an initial infection, they remain in the host for life without having to cause any signs of disease. The name of the virus family is derived from Gr. Ἕρπειν ( herpein ) for "crawl", which indicates the creeping spread of skin lesions when infected with the herpes simplex virus , the most famous member of the family.
Fried egg form of the herpes simplex virus in the TEM
The virus particles (virions) of the Herpesviridae are between 120 and 200 nm in diameter; They belong to the largest viruses alongside the Poxviridae family . In electron microscopy pictures (TEM) is usually an irregular indented viral envelope, which is due to the destruction of the sensitive shell during preparation shows. Compared to other viruses, there is a large space (matrix space) between the shell and the capsid, which is filled with numerous structural proteins . These tegument proteins (tegument: “skin”) are partly embedded in the membrane from the inside or bound to the capsid. The size of the matrix space increases the contrast between the shell and the capsid in the TEM display, which causes the typical so-called "fried egg shape" of the Herpesviridae . The 100–110 nm capsid of the Herpesviridae has an icosahedral symmetry with a triangulation number of T = 16.
The Herpesviridae family also includes a large number of other virus species that have so far not been assigned to any of the genera or subfamilies or are merely suggestive. They include:
Species acipenserid herpesviruses 1 and 2 ( white sturgeon herpesvirus )
Species anatide herpesvirus (duck plague herpesvirus)
Species Anguillid herpesvirus 1 (Japanese eel herpesvirus , Anguilla japonica )
Species Ateles herpesvirus 3 ( spider monkey herpesvirus , genus Ateles)
Species Boa herpesvirus 1 (herpesvirus of the idol snake , Boa constrictor )
Species herpesvirus of the turtle
Species Iguanid herpesvirus 2
literature
AJ Davison, R. Eberle, et al. : Family Herpesviridae . In: CM Fauquet, MA Mayo et al. : Eighth Report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. London / San Diego 2004, pp. 193-212.
David M. Knipe, Peter M. Howley, et al. (Ed.): Fields' Virology. 4th edition, Philadelphia 2001.
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