Can you spread the different herpes to different body parts?

Google is a beautiful thing.
Click and click.

Simple answer YES

Discussed in detail here and here.

Okay, that’s interesting. I failed at googling in terms of search words.

But when you spread HSV1 through contact with the genitals, does it stay HSV1 or does it mutate into HSV2?

HSV lives, latently, in your nerve roots. After the primary infection, new lesions can develop typically when your body is stressed. So, cold sores are from reactivation of latent infection of the facial nerve whereas genital herpes reactivates from one of the sacral nerves. Furthermore, since HSV-1 and HSV-2 are different viruses one cannot mutate into the other.

Okay, that’s what I thought. Thank you guys.

And the spreading cold sores to your fingers…. <shiver>

Ah yes, herpetic whitlow.

ahahhhhhhhh pictures bad. you just gave my finger a small seizure

That herpetic whitlow, will it reoccur later in those places on the fingers? I feel like it shouldn’t…

Your profile says you are interested in science and medicine, and a biology major to boot. That picture is not that bad, certainly compared to many other infections (note: might make you crap your pants).

I don’t have a weak stomach for those pictures, I just feel sympathetic pain. I should specify I’m a cell biology major and not ever interested in being a doctor. I’d have a spaz every 5 seconds. I’m also too empathetic.

Cabin Fever says yes.

@Iclamae Herpetic whitlow can recur at the same site.

how does that work though? I mean, if it’s still hsv-1, wouldn’t the virus travel to the nervous system and hibernate in the spine?

Edit: And thus, reoccur in the mouth later

@Iclamae The virus lives within the neuron bodies within the dorsal root ganglion . These cell bodies are just outside the spinal cord itself, and different ganglia are responsible for different areas of the body (i.e. the fingers, or genitals). Thus, a primary infection of the finger would allow the virus to live, latently, in the neck (where the nerves are for the hands) whereas a primary genital infection would result in the virus residing in the sacral region.

but what tells it to live in that region? Is it a third type of herpes? If it’s HSV-1 or HSV-2, wouldn’t it be inclined to travel to the regions specific to that virus (oral related for hsv-1 and the sacral region for hsv-2)?

If not, then it is technically possible to have hsv-1 infect the genital region and reoccur in the genital region. And if that’s possible, the line between hsv-1 and hsv-2 suddenly becomes very fuzzy.

There is no “telling”. Once it gets through the skin, it travels up the axon fibers (the long nerve projections) to the neuron body (where the cell’s nucleus is). At that point, the virus initiates a latency program and integrates into the host genome.

Yes.

It’s really scary if you’re into giving her oral sex. I mean, you could wear that crap right out on your face, couldn’t you?!

but then… there’s not necessarily a difference in hsv-1 and hsv-2. It’s just a matter of where the herpes enters the body.

I would think there’d be a genetic cue to have it go to different neuron bodies.

Hrrrrm. Tricksy tricksy

I just threw up a little.

@Captain_Fantasy :/ sorry

HSV-1 and HSV-2 are nearly identical viruses. They can be distinguished from each other by culture of an active lesion. They also trigger the immune system to produce antibodies that can be tested for separately.

If you test for antibodies, about ⅔ of adults have antibodies to HSV-1, and about 25% have antibodies to HSV-2. Many folks with antibody evidence of previous infection have no idea that they’ve ever been exposed.

YES! Mouth to mouth, mouth to genitals, genitals to genitals, genitals to mouth, mother to infant when giving birth. It can also go on other places of the body, such as the skin, eyes, nose.. anywhere!! NSFW

Thanks guys! This is has been incredibly useful. :D

The viruses have now crossed and your friend is correct. Cold sores are Herpes I and now genital Herpes can be Herpes I or II.