Infection with the herpes simplex virus, or HSV, ultimately comes from contact with an infected person who is either having an active outbreak or shedding the virus, since the virus cannot survive outside of the body. Depending on the type of contact and the location of transmission, the infection may develop in different areas of the body. The Merck Manual explains that after herpes enters the body and causes a primary infection, it travels to the nerve bundles deep inside the body and remains dormant for long periods of time. In most infected individuals, herpes will occasionally come out of dormancy and recur, causing outbreaks that are generally milder than the first time around.
Sexual Contact
Sexual contact is the cause of genital herpes, which infects the genital and rectal areas. This can include sexual intercourse, oral sex or anal intercourse. The strain HSV-2 is most common in the genital area. However, the strain that typically infects the mouth, HSV-1, can also be transmitted to the genitals. According to Herpes.org, up to 30 percent of new cases of genital herpes are caused by HSV-1. There does not need to be an active outbreak to transmit the virus. Viral shedding sometimes occurs in infected individuals and these shed particles can infect a sexual partner during intimate contact.
Oral Contact
Oral contact, such as kissing, commonly transmits the HSV-1 strain of herpes, causing an infection of the mouth and lips. HSV-2 transmission to the oral area is also possible, but less common, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreaks of oral herpes are often called cold sores or fever blisters. Many people catch these infections as children when kissed by an adult infected with the disease.
Hand-to-Eye Contact
Occasionally, a type of herpes infection called herpes simplex keratitis occurs when someone touches an active herpes lesion and then touches his eye, according to the Merck Manual. This contact can occur between an uninfected individual and an infected person who is having an outbreak or can be self-contamination, in which someone with an active outbreak touches his own eye after touching an open sore. Herpes simplex keratitis is most often caused by HSV-1.
Skin Contact
Similar to herpes simplex keratitis, herpes gladiatorium and herpetic whitlow are caused by accidental contact with an open herpes lesion. These infections, however, are due to the skin or a finger touching the sore. Herpes gladiatorium often occurs during contact sports such as wrestling when a wound or small tears in the skin come in contact with the open herpes sore of another athlete, as explained by the Minnesota Department of Health. According to the Merck Manual, herpetic whitlow often develops when a health professional such as a dentist touches an open sore with an exposed finger and the virus makes its way into the corner of the nail bed.
Mother-to-Baby Transmission
Pregnant women can transmit herpes to the unborn baby through the placenta or during the passage of the baby through the birth canal if she has an active infection of genital herpes at the time of delivery, according to the Merck Manual. This type of transmission is rare, but can result in a potentially deadly infection in the baby.
