herpesvirus
noun
her·pes·vi·rus ˌhər-(ˌ)pēz-ˈvī-rəs 
: any of a family (Herpesviridae) of double-stranded DNA viruses that include the cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus and the causative agents of chicken pox, herpes simplex, Marek's disease, roseola infantum, and shingles
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Nearly all of us contract a herpesvirus during our lives, via nonsexual spread. 
Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2022 Urogenital carcinoma, present in a quarter of sea lions necropsied in California, is definitively caused by a herpesvirus. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021 The maintenance problems have added to a difficult spring for the Jockey Club, which previously canceled two weekends of racing because of an equine herpesvirus outbreak that touched both Laurel Park and Pimlico. Childs Walker, baltimoresun.com, 16 Apr. 2021 Earlier this year, the deadly virus, known as elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), killed two young African elephants at the Indianapolis Zoo. Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2020 And genes that seemed to make tissues more susceptible to harm from the herpesviruses were expressed most strongly in two brain areas that are especially damaged in Alzheimer’s, Dr. Dudley said. Pam Belluck, New York Times, 21 June 2018 The Houston Zoo has worked in recent years to control and treat the elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, the leading cause of death for elephants in North America zoos, through a partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine. Jennifer Radcliffe, Houston Chronicle, 17 June 2018 To investigate that hypothesis, Edgar and her collaborators exposed mice to herpesvirus at different times. Quanta Magazine, 30 May 2019 The team found more viral DNA in Alzheimer’s brains compared with healthy brains—specifically, high levels of DNA from human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A). Melinda Wenner Moyer, Scientific American, 21 June 2018 See More
Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2022 Urogenital carcinoma, present in a quarter of sea lions necropsied in California, is definitively caused by a herpesvirus. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021 The maintenance problems have added to a difficult spring for the Jockey Club, which previously canceled two weekends of racing because of an equine herpesvirus outbreak that touched both Laurel Park and Pimlico. Childs Walker, baltimoresun.com, 16 Apr. 2021 Earlier this year, the deadly virus, known as elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), killed two young African elephants at the Indianapolis Zoo. Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2020 And genes that seemed to make tissues more susceptible to harm from the herpesviruses were expressed most strongly in two brain areas that are especially damaged in Alzheimer’s, Dr. Dudley said. Pam Belluck, New York Times, 21 June 2018 The Houston Zoo has worked in recent years to control and treat the elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, the leading cause of death for elephants in North America zoos, through a partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine. Jennifer Radcliffe, Houston Chronicle, 17 June 2018 To investigate that hypothesis, Edgar and her collaborators exposed mice to herpesvirus at different times. Quanta Magazine, 30 May 2019 The team found more viral DNA in Alzheimer’s brains compared with healthy brains—specifically, high levels of DNA from human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A). Melinda Wenner Moyer, Scientific American, 21 June 2018 See More Word History
First Known Use
1925, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
herpesvirus
noun
her·pes·vi·rus -ˈvī-rəs
: any of a family Herpesviridae of double-stranded DNA viruses