The human herpes viruses (HHV) include several very common viruses that have cutaneous manifestations. The Herpesvirales order (family Herpesviridae) is characterised by:
- Double-stranded DNA genome
- Icosahedral capsid surrounded by a tegument
- Lipid envelope derived from infected cell membranes modified by insertion of viral-encoded glycoproteins
- Diameter of 160–200 nm
- Infectious, latent (persistence in the host) and reactive phases of infection
| Subfamily | Genus | Species | Common name | Abbreviation | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alphaherpesvirinae | Simplexvirus | Human herpesvirus 1 (HHV1) | Herpes simplex virus 1 | HSV1 | Primary Herpes simplex (cold sores) Reactivation: Recurrent herpes, eczema herpeticum |
| Human herpesvirus 2 (HHV2) | Herpes simplex virus 2 | HSV2 | Primary Genital herpes Reactivation: Recurrent herpes |
||
| Varicellovirus | Human herpesvirus 3 (HHV3) | Varicella-zoster virus | VZV | Chickenpox Reactivation: Shingles |
|
| Betaherpesvirinae | Cytomegalovirus | Human herpesvirus 5 (HHV5) | Cytomegalovirus | CMV | Cytomegalovirus infection |
| Roseolovirus | Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) | Roseola virus HHV6B | Roseola Reactivation: pityriasis rosea, drug hypersensitivity syndrome |
||
| Human herpesvirus 7 (HHV7) | |||||
| Gammaherpesvirinae | Lymphocriptovirus | Human herpesvirus 4 (HHV4) | Epstein-Barr virus | EBV | Infectious mononucleosis and many others |
| Rhadinovirus | Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) | Kaposi sarcoma associated herpesvirus | KSV | Kaposi sarcoma |