B virus

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B-virus, sometimes called Herpes B, is a virus of the genus Simplexvirus that infects macaque monkeys. B virus is very similar to Herpes simplex virus 1, and as such, this neurotropic virus is not found in the blood. In the natural host, the virus exhibits pathogenesis similar to that of cold sores in humans. There have been a number of accidental infections and fatalities of researchers working with rhesus monkeys (Rhesus macaque). When humans are zoonotically infected with B virus, they can present with a severe encephalitis, resulting in permanent neurological dysfunction or death. Severity of the disease increases for untreated patients, with a case fatality rate of approximately 80%. Early diagnosis and subsequent treatment are crucial to human survival of the infection.

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