Scientists note all humans become infected with herpes viruses during childhood, and after the initial infection clears, the virus enters a dormant state known as latency.

In the recent study, Herbert Virgin and colleagues at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrated mice latently infected with either mouse gammaherpesvirus 68 or mouse cytomegalovirus are resistant to infection with a diverse range of pathogens that include Listeria monocytogenes and the plague bacteria Yersinia pestis.

The researchers posit the co-evolution of both parties provides a survival benefit to both the virus its host.

The study is detailed in the journal Nature.