Final answer:
Acyclovir is the preferred antiviral agent for treating herpetic infections due to its ability to reduce symptom severity and duration by interfering with viral DNA replication.
Step-by-step explanation:
The antiviral agent of choice for the treatment of herpetic infections is Acyclovir. This medication is specially designed to manage the symptoms of herpes simplex infections by reducing the number and duration of episodes of active viral disease, even though the virus remains latent in the body's nervous tissue for life. Acyclovir is activated by the herpes simplex viral enzyme thymidine kinase and leads to chain termination when incorporated into viral DNA during replication, thereby inhibiting the virus.
Acyclovir is preferred over other treatments because of its high specificity for virus-infected cells and its decreased likelihood of side effects, which may include nephrotoxicity when used systemically. It can be administered topically for localized infections or systemically for more widespread infections.