Herpes Viruses in the Organism – Real Facts and Persistence Enigmas

Abstract

Purpose: To study possible persistence of herpes viruses in certain tissues of healthy humans and patients with chronic pathologies. Materials and methods: We examined 105 children with chronic throat, ear or nose pathologies, 34 children with obstructive pyelonephritis, 150 adults with chronic stomach pathologies, and control groups. Herpes viruses were found (by PCR) in the epithelium of the palatine tonsils, the renal tissue, and the stomach wall tissue. Results: A low frequency of tissue contamination with herpes viruses in conditionally healthy subjects contrasted with that in patients with chronic pathologies, the latter showing 53% to 88% presence of viruses. The viral infection was accompanied with intensive colonization of tissues with conditionally pathogenic bacteria. Summary: Prolonged persistence of herpes viruses in tissues may aggravate the course of a chronic process and create the conditions for development of a bacterial infection. The viral component of a mixed infection remains invulnerable when standard antibacterial therapy schemes are used.

Keywords

• herpes viruses
• persistence
• chronic diseases
• mixed infections