An end to cold sores for ever?

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 Cold sores could soon be zapped for good after a way to kill off the virus that causes the aggravating and unsightly eruptions was found. Cold sores are created by herpes simplex, a virus that can sit in nerves around the mouth for years before leaping into action when the body's immune system is substantially weakened. It takes a stressor – such as illness or excessive sunlight – to 'tip the balance' over cell chemicals which normally block the production of the proteins that turn the virus on. Until now, the only treatment has been creams and patches. Although they clear the problem, after a couple of weeks the cold sores usually reappear. Microbiologist Prof Bryan Cullen, of Duke University Medical Centre, North Carolina, managed to isloate the cell chemicals that keep the virus dormant. By waking... [read full story]