The Herpesviridae is a family of DNA viruses that cause diseases in humans and animals. The family name is derived from the Greek herpein ("to creep"), referring to the latent, re-occurring infections typical of this group of viruses. Herpesviridae can cause latent or lytic infections.
There are eight types of viruses in this family known to cause disease in humans. These viruses are (HHV stands for human herpesviruses):
