Genome sequence of a chimpanzee herpesvirus and its relation to other primate alphaherpesviruses.

This study reports the complete genome sequence of chimpanzee herpesvirus (ChHV), an alphaherpesvirus isolated from a chimpanzee. Although closely related to human herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV2), the level of sequence diversity confirms that ChHV is sufficiently distinct to be considered a member of a different virus species rather than a variant strain of HSV2. Phylogenetic comparison with other simplexviruses at several levels supports the hypothesis that HSV2 and ChHV co-evolved with their respective human and chimpanzee hosts and raises questions regarding the evolutionary origins of HSV1.