Herpes study adds to understanding of viral reinfections, how to potentially prevent them

In the early days of the pandemic, there was hope that being infected once with the coronavirus would grant immunity against future infections. As we all know by now, that is not how things played out. Yet, there is not a full understanding of how these and similar reinfections happen — and how they can be prevented. A new study on herpes infections of the eye from University of Illinois Chicago researchers helps shed light on the question of viral reinfections by identifying a key protein involved in viral reinfections that could be targeted by antiviral drugs. The UIC team examined how the heparanase protein, which is present in all our cells, affects reinfection from the herpes simplex virus type 1 in mice. They found that inhibiting heparanase activity can protect the eyes from being reinfected. Mice that had their heparanase protein blocked showed no signs of cloudiness in their corneas after...