According to the authors of a recent study, the modern herpes virus strain that causes facial herpes has been around for approximately 5,000 years.
Christiana Scheib, the lead author of the study, explains: “We can determine that all variants of modern strains originated from a specific period, which is the late Neolithic era to the early Bronze Age.”
One of the ancient DNA samples of herpes used in the study belonged to a man aged between 26 and 35, discovered along the banks of the Rhine River. (Photo: Barbara Veselka).
Therefore, the current herpes virus is only 5,000 years old, which is lower than previously imagined: “It’s somewhat surprising because it was believed that herpes evolved alongside humans for a very long time,” said an expert in ancient DNA at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are approximately 3.7 billion people worldwide infected with the HSV-1 virus that causes facial herpes. However, the history of this virus and how it spreads remains largely unknown.
The research team led by scientist Christiana Scheib examined dental DNA from hundreds of individuals from ancient archaeological findings, among which only four individuals carried the herpes virus.
The experts determined the moment of its emergence by sequencing their genomes.
Humans may have coexisted with herpes for even longer. It can be imagined that a previous strain of the virus likely circulated among humans when they first left Africa millions of years ago. However, it wasn’t until relatively recently that it acquired its current form.
One of the ancient herpes DNA samples belonged to a young adult from the late 14th century, buried in the grounds of the Medieval Charity Hospital of Cambridge (later became St. John’s College). He suffered from severe dental abscesses. (Photo: Craig Cessford).
How can this change be explained? The first hypothesis from the researchers is that around 5,000 years ago, humanity was undergoing a major migration from Eurasia to Europe, and this movement may have influenced the virus.
Another hypothesis is that the development of facial herpes during the Neolithic era, as found in ancient DNA, may coincide with a new cultural practice, romantic kissing, and sexual activity.
Romantic kissing may be a pathway for virus transmission
Christina Scheib stated: “Textual evidence began to appear from the Bronze Age regarding romantic kissing, which may have changed the way the virus spreads.”
The first mention of kissing was found in a manuscript from South Asia during the Bronze Age, suggesting that this practice may have been transmitted to Europe later.
The scientist explains that the herpes virus on the face is often transmitted from parents to children, but kissing would provide a new way to transmit it from one host to another.
Charlotte Houldcroft, another co-author of the study at the University of Cambridge, points out that a virus like herpes evolves over a much larger timescale than the virus that causes the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said: “The virus that causes facial herpes remains dormant in its host for life and only transmits through oral contact, so mutations occur slowly over centuries, even millennia.”
According to Houldcroft, previously, genetic data on herpes only dated back to 1925, and she calls for “deeper investigations” to understand the evolution of the virus.
This researcher noted that only gene samples dated hundreds of years, if not thousands, can help understand how DNA viruses like herpes or monkeypox, as well as our immune systems, have adapted to each other.
