Herpesviridae

The family Herpesviridae contains about 50 members covering a wide range of host systems. The family has been divided into three sub-families, the Alphaherpesvirinae (rapidly growing, cytolytic), the Betaherpesvirinae (slowly growing, cytomegalic), and the Gammaherpesvirinae (lymphocyte-associated). The pathogenesis of herpesvirus infections covers a wide variety of phenomena, from lytic infection through persistent infection to latent infection (with recurrences). Several members of the family have been shown to cause or to be implicated in tumor formation in man and other animals. The herpesviruses are large, DNA-containing viruses with an icosahedral nucleocapsid and a loosely fitting envelope derived from the cell's nuclear membrane. The chapter discusses the four main structural components of the virion: envelope, capsid, DNA-protein complex (core) and tegument.