The herpes virus can travel to the brain during oral sex, scientists warn.
They have discovered that people can contract Herpes Simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in and around their nose, which offers a dangerous direct corridor for the brain.
In theory, the infection can then cause inflammation and lead to complications such as brain damage and dementia.
The professor of the University of Chicago Deepak Shukla, who led the research, said DailyMail.com that this method of transmission could occur in the bedroom.
He said that every position that makes it possible for someone's nose to get in touch with HSV-1 particles of a person who actively turns the virus is a risk.
Nearly four billion people worldwide wear HSV-1, the main cause of oral herpes.
The most common way in which it is transferred from a carrier to someone without herpes is to touch an active painful pain.
For someone with oral herpes, who occasionally cause blisters around the lips, this means that it makes contact with the cold pain of that person or saliva – when their bodies actively produce the virus or 'colander'.
Professor Deepak Shukla explained that one of the possible ways in which someone could contract a herpes infection by oral sex is an infected partner (stock image)
However, there are cases of HSV-1 that cause genital herpes, which means that an infected carrier passed the virus during oral sex.
In essence, someone could inhale infectious particles when his face is pressed against the skin or swears that hsv-1 throw it out.
For the first time, Professor Shukla revealed in the Mbio magazine that there is an important enzyme in the human body that this herpes infections could come in through the nose that are especially devastating to the health of the brain.
The enzyme is called heparanase (HPSE) and experiments revealed that it can be a hidden puppet master, strengthens inflammation and the long-term brain damage drives after HSV-1 sneaks through the nose in the brain.
HPSE is a normal enzyme in people and other mammals, which breaks down sugar -like molecules that are part of the supporting structures of our cells.
HPSE usually works as a clean -up team, so that damaged cells are cleaned up so that the body can regenerate wounded tissues.
However, when someone gets infected with HSV-1, the herpes virus hijacks this enzyme and causes too much inflammation.
For the majority of the world's population that HSV-1 has only occasional cold pain, there is really no worries about it.
However, if this infection reaches the brain in one way or another, HSV-1 can, however, cause encephalitis, a dangerous brain inflammation or lingers calmly, possibly that contributes to disorders such as Alzheimer's disease later in life.
In general, there are cases of Herpes Simplex encephalitis (HSE), in which HSV-1 infects the brain and causes inflammation, still rare.
In fact, HSE occurs in about two to four cases for each million people with the virus. Dr. Shukla, however, told DailyMail.com that he believes that the number of non -reported nasal herpes shops is much higher.
The new study discovered an important enzyme that seems to make HSV-1 infections worse, which leads to severe brain inflammation when the virus reaches the brain in rare cases
With the help of mice with HSV-1 dripped into their noses, the Shukla team discovered that animals with normal levels of HPSE suffer from more serious herpes infections died faster and had poorer symptoms such as nasal swelling and breathing problems.
After an autopsy, scientists discovered that the mice with normal HPSE levels had more dead cells in their brains, more inflammation and more immune cells (microglia) in the olfactory sphere – the brain's scent center and access point from the nose.
“There is absolutely nerve damage if you take the intranasal route, and the long -term effects are alarming,” Shukla noted in a statement.
The mice infected with herpes with normal HPSE levels also showed with regard to behavioral changes while they were still alive.
The mice suffered from memory loss, showed more signs of fear and lost their balance more often while walking. These symptoms appeared in less than six months.
When the Shukla team carried out the same experiments with the help of mice that were genetically designed to produce less HPSE, the viral infection did considerably less brain damage.
The researchers noted that this seems to prove that Herpes uses the enzyme to use harmful inflammation of the turboade. When this takes place in the brain, it can be fatal for someone with HSV-1.
Even worse, there is no remedy for HSV-1 or HSV-2 (the main cause of genital herpes during sex).
What this could mean for human patients, said Prof. dr. Shukla that the effects on people who have been infected with herpes would probably vary greatly from person to person.
In particular, the symptoms would probably develop slower in people than in mice and their seriousness would depend on the strength of every person's immune system and how often they have herpes flareups.
“Our findings serve as a warning that uncontrolled herpes can lead to important behavioral deviations, motorcycle function problems and coordination problems over time,” Shukla told DailyMail.com.
