Herpesviral infections of farm and companion animals

Abstract

Herpesviridae is a large family of DNA viruses, capable of infecting higher as well as lower vertebrates. To date, more than one hundred species have been isolated and identified, and new species are still being discovered. For many years mammalian herpesviruses have been of interest to researchers because of their prevalence and pathogenicity, as well as significant economic losses associated with herpesviral infections, especially in livestock.In the course of their evolution, herpesviruses have perfectly adapted to their hosts and have developed the ability to establish latency. For years, many diverse efforts have been made to eliminate herpesviral infections, but the vaccines produced are generally ineffective and do not provide protection against the establishment of latency. Therefore, further research on their pathogenesis and continuous monitoring are needed to prevent the occurrence and spread of herpesvirus infections, particularly in farm and companion animals.