Acute Infection
In period of acute infection of Herpes simplex virus, human pathologic changes and consist of the following…
• multinucleated giant cells,
• ballooning degeneration of epithelial cells,
• focal necrosis,
• eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies and
• inflammatory responded by an initial poly morphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) infiltrate and mononuclear cell infiltrate.
The virus can be spread inside host body by intra or interneuronally and through cellular networks (axon and ganglia), and result in latent infection.
Latent Infection
During latent infection, HSV do not die and HSV viral genome keep several copies of itself in infected neuronal cell. They transcript only significant series of genome. In latent infection, the virus do not need to synthesis of early or late viral polypeptide and DNA polymerase do not eliminate the virus in its latent state.
When reactivation of the virus occurs, it infected ganglionic cells and release infectious virions. The virions can recurrences of both genital and orolabial infection. Reactivation can be caused by sun exposure to ultraviolet light, fever or trauma. The reasons or mechanisms of latent infection are still unknown.