What is a herpes simplex virus (HSV) and how does it propagate?
HSV is a large, double stranded DNA virus. All the programming of the virus ability to infect someone is contained in the DNA. The DNA is packaged in a diamond like protein structure, called an icosahedron. The virus also has an over coat, the envelope, which is necessary for the docking procedure when the virus infects a cell. In other words, an HSV particle without the envelope is not infectious, since it cannot enter the cell.
