Answer 2
2
€¢ Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus type1 (HSV-1).
€¢ Infection is usually contracted in childhood, although it may not manifest clinically for several years or at all, but the virus is never eliminated from the body.
€¢ Transmission is through transfer of the virus via saliva to mucous membranes, eg, by kissing. Following attacks, the virus regresses to the ganglia of the trigeminal and lumbosacral nerves, where it lies dormant until one of several trigger factors or lowered immunity allows it to break out again.
