Herpes B

Tests in 2000 of around 20 macaque monkeys living in captivity in Tasmania, Australia (a gift Japan in for 1981) showed they were infectious for Herpes B virus. Herpes B is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can be transmitted from animal hosts to humans. Herpes B virus infection is relative innocuous in macaques but can cause meningitis and encephalitis in humans. At that time there was no recorded Australian case of Herpes B infection, but there was a suggestion that Herpes B has potential to become a global epidemic.