Herpes Simplex Virus and Cancer

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Herpes Simplex Virus 1, also known as oral herpes, is responsible for causing sores in the mouth and lip region when infected¹. It can be spread by oral secretions such as kissing and sharing objects that have contact with saliva¹. It is estimated that up to 90% of people in the United States have had contact with HSV-1 by the age of 50². The virus has the ability to lay dormant for some time in the nerve cells until it gets triggered again, forming somewhat painful lesions¹ that last two to three weeks⁴. There is no cure for Herpes, however there are treatments that allow for the lessening of these lesions and pain that are typical of patients with the HSV virus¹.

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HSV-1 virus present on the gums of a patient.

Kaposi sarcoma is a type of cancer that can be formed in the lining of the mouth, nose, throat and lymph nodes ³ and it characterized by purple or red spots on the skin⁵. It also has the ability to damage internal organs and cause breathlessness, bleeding gums, and stomach pains⁵. This rare cancer was found to be caused by the HSV virus, which is fairly common in the population, yet most people do not develop the cancer⁵.Kaposi sarcoma was very common in men of Middle Eastern descent but has now been shown to be common in AIDS patients³ and others who have weakened immune systems⁵. There are various ways to try to reduce the cancer, such as the common technique of chemotherapy and radiotherapy but the cancer may never be eliminated⁵.

File:Http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Kaposis sarcoma 01.jpg

Kaposi sarcoma patches present on an HIV positive individual.

HSV-1

Clinical Characterization of HSV-1

A transmission electron micrograph(TEM) of negatively stained Herpes Simplex Virus.By CDC/ Dr. Fred Murphy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

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Filename: Ebola virus 1.jpeg
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Legend/credit: Electron micrograph of the Ebola Zaire virus. This was the first photo ever taken of the virus, on 10/13/1976. By Dr. F.A. Murphy, now at U.C. Davis, then at the CDC.
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Overall paper length should be 3,000 words, with at least 3 figures with data.

Karposi Sarcoma

Include some current research in each topic, with at least one figure showing data.

HSV-1 and Kaposi Sarcoma

Include some current research in each topic, with at least one figure showing data.

Further Reading

[Sample link] Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Special Pathogens Branch

References

1. Johnson, Traci. "Herpes Simplex: Herpes Type 1 and 2." Genetial Herpes Health Center. Web MD. Web.

Edited by (your name here), a student of Nora Sullivan in BIOL168L (Microbiology) in The Keck Science Department of the Claremont Colleges Spring 2014.