Duke University Medical Center scientists have figured out how the virus that causes cold sores hides out, and now they may have a way to wake it up and kill it. Cold sores, painful, unsightly blemishes around the mouth, have so far evaded a cure or even prevention. They’re known to be caused by the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), which lies dormant in the trigeminal nerve of the face until triggered to reawaken by excessive sunlight, fever, or other stresses.
“We have provided a molecular understanding of how HSV1 hides and then switches back and forth between the latent (hidden) and active phases,” said Bryan Cullen, Duke professor of molecular genetics and microbiology.
His group’s findings, published in Nature, also provide a framework for studying other latent viruses, such as the chicken pox virus, which can return later in life as a case of shingles, and herpes simplex 2 virus, a genitally transmitted virus that also causes painful sores, Cullen said.