title: [Herpes simplex virus infections, an update for the practitioner].
abstract: The herpesviruses HSV-1 and -2 classically infect the oral and genital area respectively. They descend from a common ancestor but have evolved separately since several million years, getting each adapted to these areas. Thus, while both can infect either site, HSV-1 reactivates often orally, while HSV-2 does so in the genital area. The followings facts are stressed, because we think they are new, or worth attention regarding HSV epidemiology (plateauing of the HSV-2 epidemic in the US, growing share of HSV-1 as a genital herpes agent), clinical expression (extra-oral and extra-genital lesions, severity of gingivostomatitis), diagnosis (confusing herpes and zoster in the trigeminal and sacral areas) and treatment (relative worth of suppressive and episodic treatments of genital herpes, as well as shortening of these latter, and treatment of gingivostomatitis and herpes labialis).
authors.affiliation: Institut de microbiologie et Service des maladies infectieuses, CHUV, 1011 Lausanne. pascal.meylan@chuv.ch
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meylan
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000175:diagnosis; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human; D006801:Humans