Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago have issued a serious warning after studying herpes simplex virus type one (HSV-1), which they discovered can also infect the nasal cavity.
Herpes, as it’s commonly known, leads to painful sores or ulcers. It mainly spreads through direct skin contact and, while it can be treated, it cannot be completely cured.
“It can also cause genital herpes. Most adults are infected with HSV-1,” according to WHO.
Type two, on the other hand, is sexually transmitted and is the cause of genital herpes.
“If an infected individual is shedding virus via tears, it could reach the nasal cavity, where it could go more directly to the brain,” said Dr. Deepak Shukla, the study’s lead author.
“I think it’s underdiagnosed and understudied, but the neurological consequences, we believe, are much more severe than you would normally see with fever blisters or ocular infection.”
When mice were infected with HSV-1 through their noses, the protein triggered inflammation in their brains. This led to memory loss, increased anxiety, and trouble with movement
“There is definitely nerve damage if you take the intranasal route, and the effects are long-term, which is alarming,” added Shukla.
Hemant Borase, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois Chicago and the study’s first author, also shared: “These insights open the door to potential therapeutic approaches to mitigate the effects of neuroinflammation and prevent long-term brain injury caused by viral infections.”
“The virus reactivates throughout life; it’s a lifelong infection.”
“So, I think this awareness will be really important among the large population which is carrying this virus.”