Herpes simplex virus

Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), also known as human herpesvirus 1 and 2 (HHV-1 and HHV-2), are two members of the eight known members of the Herpesviridae family.

HSV-1 causes cold sores while HSV-2 causes genital herpes.

HSV-1 was found to reduce have all been found to reduce cellular respiration by targeting a site between complexes II and III, reducing the oxygen consumption rate by 31%.

Dr. William Pridgen hypothesizes that fibromyalgia, and possibly ME/CFS too, may be caused by HSV-1 infection in the dorsal root ganglia of the spine (and/or in other nerve ganglia), and treats fibromyalgia with an antiviral protocol comprising famciclovir (Famvir) with the COX-2 inhibitor drug celecoxib. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study clinical trial of 143 fibromyalgia patients found the protocol safe and effective.

Implicated in causation of other diseases

 * Possible cause of Alzheimer's.
 * FDA fast tracking Fibromyalgia drug which suppresses HSV-1

Cause of false positives in testing
Several herpesviruses including HSV-2 may cause false positives on Lyme disease tests.

Notable studies

 * 1994, Simultaneous measurement of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus, human herpesvirus 6, herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, and 14 enteroviruses in chronic fatigue syndrome: is there evidence of activation of a nonspecific polyclonal immune response?
 * 1996, Viral serologies in patients with chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome.
 * 2002, Markers of viral infection in monozygotic twins discordant for chronic fatigue syndrome.
 * 2013, Susceptibility genes are enriched in those of the herpes simplex virus 1/host interactome in psychiatric and neurological disorders.