Herpesviruses--a zoonotic threat?
Herpesviruses are highly host specific and share a long synchronous evolution with their hosts. Only in rare cases, species barriers fall and allow animal to human or human to animal transmission. Among the zoonotic herpesviruses, Cercopithecine herpesvirus 1 is the most significant and can be transmitted from macaques to human. Conversely, Human herpesvirus 1 is capable of causing severe disease in primates. Besides those two examples, there are several herpesviruses with a certainly limited or only suspected ability to cross species barriers. Those include Saimiriine herpesvirus 2, Phocid herpesvirus 2, Equid herpesvirus 1, Epstein-Barr Virus, Marek's disease virus, and Pseudorabies virus. Concerning xenotransplantations, porcine gammaherpesviruses must be considered as a zoonotic threat.
Tischer
B Karsten
BK
Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Philippstrasse 13, 10115 Berlin, Germany. k.tischer@fu-berlin.de
Osterrieder
Nikolaus
N
D000818:Animals; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D011323:Primates / Q000821:virology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000821:virology*