Final answer:
Antiviral medications for herpes and cytomegalovirus infections have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headache, rash, hair loss, and renal dysfunction like nephrotoxicity. Acyclovir is a commonly used antiviral that requires viral enzyme activation and mainly targets virus-infected cells to treat herpes infections.
Step-by-step explanation:
The adverse effects associated with antiviral medications used for the treatment of herpes and cytomegalovirus infections can vary, but common side effects include nausea and vomiting (N/V), headache, rash, and hair loss. Renal dysfunction, specifically nephrotoxicity, is a potential side effect of drugs like acyclovir. Additionally, acyclovir's specificity for virus-infected cells comes from both viral enzyme activation and the increased affinity of the activated form for viral DNA polymerase compared to that of the host cell DNA polymerase. While antivirals like acyclovir, which is commonly used to treat herpes virus infections, do not cure the illness, they help manage symptoms. Antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir and Ribavirin are also used to treat influenza and a variety of other viral infections, though their mechanisms of action against certain viruses may vary.