Herpes Virus surviving outside the human body in animals

[cyborg360]

Can the Herpes virus (or any other STD virus) be transmitted from a carrier to an animal if say the animal licks the human's face?

Also, if an animal CAN be infected that way, can the virus be retransmitted to a different human in a like manner?

I've heard the virus can live outside the body for about 10 seconds, and can live in some aqueous solutions a bit longer, so I figure that an animal might be an ideal living quarters (at least for a time).

[John Kenyon, CNA]

Hello -

Herpes and some STDs have, on rare occasions, been recorded as having been exchanged between certain types of monkeys and humans, but not most common domestic animals (dogs, cats, horses, etc.). Some diseases can be transmitted between species, but herpes apparently is pretty species specific, so has been, so far as I am aware, limited to human-monkey contact, and again, mostly only in the laboratory setting.

An animal which licks a human's face (most likely a dog), would be extremely unlikely able to retransmit the virus to another human.

I hope this is helpful.