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herpesvirus

American  
[hur-peez-vahy-ruhs] / ˈhɜr pizˌvaɪ rəs /

noun

  • herpesviruses
    plural
  1. a DNA-containing virus of the family Herpesviridae, certain members of which cause such diseases in humans as oral and genital herpes, infectious mononucleosis, chickenpox, and shingles.


herpesvirus British  
/ ˈhɜːpiːzˌvaɪrəs /

noun

  1. any one of a family of DNA-containing viruses that includes the agents causing herpes, the Epstein-Barr virus, and the cytomegalovirus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of herpesvirus

First recorded in 1920–25; from New Latin; see origin at herpes, virus


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The new information will help to understand the interaction between herpesvirus and host cells.

From Science Daily ● May 7, 2024

In addition to asking “Who?” a lot, Sherman pointed out the awkward fact that Flaco’s autopsy indicated that the owl had a severe pigeon herpesvirus when it died.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2024

That means that, unlike most viral gene therapies, patients can receive multiple treatments with herpesvirus vectors.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 28, 2022

But to be sure Epstein-Barr was the culprit, Ascherio and his colleagues also measured antibodies against cytomegalovirus, another herpesvirus, and found no difference in levels in those who developed MS and those who did not.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 13, 2022

Herpes Zoster   Varicella-zoster virus: A herpesvirus that causes chickenpox and   shingles.

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Thomas Jefferson Ritter

Along with its close relative HHV-6A, it belongs to a widespread group of herpesviruses that typically cause a mild early infection before remaining dormant in the body for life.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

Knipe says he became interested in the biology of herpesviruses as an undergraduate while recovering from a bout of mononucleosis.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 15, 2023

When both engineered and unmodified herpesviruses were inoculated into mice, the gene drive converted up to 90% of the viruses—possibly enough to prevent an HSV-1 infection from causing symptoms such as painful cold sores.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 14, 2023

Influenza, herpesviruses and other viruses can also cause pink eye.

From Scientific American ● May 12, 2023

Latent infections are common with other herpesviruses as well, including the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

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