Viral Latency & Triggers: Beyond the Basics

The herpes virus is about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. If caught in the open, our immune system will recognize it and kill it. But if the virus can sneak past our immune cells which are about 100 times larger than the virus, it will slip inside cells of the skin and/or nerve.

Once inside the cell, the virus will literally inject its own DNA into the cell’s DNA. With the DNA integrated, the rest of the virus is just an empty shell and is left behind. That DNA is like an instruction booklet for a Lego set; it containing the steps needed to remake every piece of the virus. But the parts of our cell that “read” the DNA instructions, can’t tell the herpes instructions apart from the rest of the instructions.

The virus DNA is a part of our DNA, indistinguishable, and our cells are none the wiser. Until something changes, our cells, our immune system, and our bodies appear the same as they always have. During this period, the herpes virus is “dormant.” Think of it as hibernation.

Hibernation, for herpes virus, can last months, years, even decades. But many things can wake it up…

“Reactivation” is the term that describes the herpes virus waking up. Many things can trigger reactivation by prompting our cells to read the herpes DNA. Once our cells read it, the cellular machines carry out the instructions, remaking each part of the virus over and over again, until the cell is bursting full of new herpes viruses.

At that point, the cell will physically break apart and release all the newly made herpes viruses into the blood stream, where they spread to other cells, causing symptoms, and infecting other people.

What are the many things that can make our cells read the herpes DNA? The short answer is any time our cells get kicked into survival mode. Some examples of when that happens:

• Other Hormonal Changes – Menstrual cycles, pregnancy, hormone therapy can all trigger an outbreak
• Stress (physical or emotional or due to other illnesses) – Stress on the body leads to the release of hormones that can prompt changes within cells enough to read the herpes DNA. But also localized stress (such as during a dental procedure) kicks those cells into high gear and can lead to herpes reactivation.
• A weakened immune system – Our immune system plays two roles in keeping the herpes virus at bay:
  • First, immune cells patrol our blood. If any small amount of herpes virus is made incidentally, our immune cells will capture them, preventing them from starting the chain reaction that leads to herpes outbreaks. But when those cells are weakened or absent, even small amounts of herpes viruses in the blood stream can lead to large consequences.
  • Second, without our immune cells, even small causes of inflammation can scare cells into a stress response, during which they will incidentally read the herpes DNA
• Sunlight – Yes, the sun is powerful. Too much sunlight causes sun burns by directly damaging our skin and can cause cancer by directly damaging the DNA within the skin. When DNA is damaged, our cells kick into response mode, which is when they will read the herpes DNA.