Data ICTV MSL41 & NCBI · 31 October 2026 Methods · Changelog · Corrections

Open Source Medicine Foundation

Herpes simplex virus 1

Taxonomy pass, October 2026

ICTV species Simplexvirus humanalpha1, family Orthoherpesviridae. What it is, and what exists against it.

At a glance

AbbreviationHuAHV1, HSV1
ICTV speciesSimplexvirus humanalpha1
FamilyOrthoherpesviridae
Baltimore classI — dsDNA
Human infectionHuman infection recorded; pattern not classified

Also called: human alphaherpesvirus 1; herpes simplex virus 1; Simplexvirus humanalpha1

Duplodnaviria › Peploviricota › Herviviricetes › Herpesvirales › Orthoherpesviridae › Simplexvirus

What it is

Taxonomy copied from ICTV MSL41.v1 / VMR_MSL41.v1.20260729.xlsx. These ranks are not hand-edited; a correction means re-running the fetch against a newer release.

RealmDuplodnaviria
KingdomHeunggongvirae
PhylumPeploviricota
ClassHerviviricetes
OrderHerpesvirales
FamilyOrthoherpesviridae
SubfamilyAlphaherpesvirinae
GenusSimplexvirus
ICTV identifierICTV19710176
NCBI taxon3050292
Exemplar isolateJN555585

Host evidence

Counts of nucleotide records annotated with that host. Evidence of provenance, not a statement of host range.

Where it occurs

Not searched yet. No country-level occurrence data has been curated for this virus. The WHO reported-case data on this site covers a limited set of diseases; a virus outside it gets no map rather than an empty one.

What it does

Not searched yet. Burden, severity and transmissibility figures have not been curated for this virus yet. When they are, each will carry the exact sentence from its source.

Vaccines

Nothing in use found in the sources searched. That is not the same as nothing existing; see the methods page for what was searched.

In development

Candidates
NameDeveloperPlatformUseStageJurisdictionsTrialsSource
Lower dose formulation of HSV vaccine (GSK4108771A)GlaxoSmithKlineNot searched yetRoutine immunisationDiscontinuedNot searched yetNCT04762511candidateId ctgov-lower-dose-formulation-of-hsv-vaccine-gsk4108771a-gl

Antivirals

In use against this virus
NameMechanismUseStageJurisdictionsTrialsSource
Acyclovir And HydrocortisoneXereseNon-nucleoside polymerase inhibitorTreatmentApprovedUS: approved—
quote
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE XERESE, a combination of acyclovir, a herpes simplex virus deoxynucleoside analog DNA polymerase inhibitor, and hydrocortisone, a corticosteroid, is indicated for the early treatment of recurrent herpes labialis (cold sores) to reduce the likelihood of ulcerative cold sores and to shorten the lesion healing time in adults and children (6 years of age and older).

Herpes Simplex Virus Nucleoside Analog DNA Polymerase Inhibitor [EPC]; SPL id a4efb63c-e7bf-43da-bbfe-463f672cb1bc · verified 2026-10-30

Antibodies and immune globulins

Not searched yet. No US-approved antiviral antibody for this virus was found in the openFDA drug label endpoint.

Approval status is not a treatment recommendation. Dosing and eligibility are on the label and in national guidelines. This page does not give medical advice and does not render dosing. A development stage is not a measure of how well something works.

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Cite this page. Herpes simplex virus 1. Vaccine Data Navigator, Open Source Medicine Foundation. Built 31 October 2026 from the ICTV Virus Metadata Resource (MSL41) and NCBI Taxonomy/GenBank. https://vaccinedatanavigator.org/virus-navigator/viruses/herpes-simplex-virus-1.html

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