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Medical Definition of Human herpesvirus 3
1. A herpesvirus, morphologically identical to herpes simplex virus, that causes varicella (chickenpox) and herpes zoster in man; varicella results from a primary infection with the virus; herpes zoster results from secondary invasion by the same virus or by reactivation of infection which in many instances has been latent for many years. Synonym: chickenpox virus, herpes zoster virus, human herpesvirus 3. (05 Mar 2000)