How is herpes started

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Site Menu Home. Humanity dodged the genital herpes bullet -- almost. Somewhere between 3 and 1. Hominin is the zoological 'tribe' to which our species belongs. Now, a team of scientists from Cambridge and Oxford Brookes universities believe they may have identified the culprit: Parathropus boisei , a heavyset bipedal hominin with a smallish brain and dish-like face.

In a study published today in the journal Virus Evolution , they suggest that P. That is until HSV2 "adapted to a different mucosal niche" say the scientists. A niche located in the genitals. Close contact between P. This provided the opportunity for HSV2 to boomerang into our bloodline. The appearance of Homo erectus around 2 million years ago was accompanied by evidence of hunting and butchery.

Once again, consuming "infected material" would have transmitted the virus -- only this time it was P. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the evolutionary origins of human herpes simplex virus HSV -1 and -2, reporting that the former infected hominids before their evolutionary split from chimpanzees 6 million years ago while the latter jumped from ancient chimpanzees to ancestors of modern humans — Homo erectus — approximately 1.

The findings are published in the June 10 online issue of Molecular Biology and Evolution. Understanding where our viruses come from will help guide us in preventing future viruses from making the jump into humans. Approximately two-thirds of the human population is infected with at least one herpes simplex virus. Interestingly, a related herpes virus — HSV1, which causes cold sores — seems to have been present in our ancestors since the time of the split with the chimp common ancestor, and may, the researchers suggest, have initially provided a degree of immunity to HSV2.

However, during its long period of exile, HSV2 appears to have mutated in such a way that it was able to adapt to proto-human conditions when eventually reintroduced.

In the case of early hominins, this means through consumption or intercourse — or possibly both. Related reading: Herpes doubles autism risk. Originally published by Cosmos as Meet the guy who gave us herpes. Cosmos is published by The Royal Institution of Australia, a charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science.