The nomenclature of herpes viruses is contentious; there is, thus, a historical or traditional (trivial) nomenclature and an official name for each virus. The herpes viruses that commonly infect humans can be distinguished by their antigenic and genomic profiles, although they cannot be differentiated by electron microscopy owing to identical capsid morphology. They also have a universal ability to establish latent infection in the host, in which they reside, and manifest a number of common epidemiological features. Herpes simplex virus, herpes zoster, Epstein-Barr virus. Human cytomegalovirus and herpes viruses 6 and 8 can all cause infections in oral and perioral tissues.

Dr. Shreeja Pillai postgraduate student from MGVMS Dental College and Hospital.