APOE and Alzheimer disease: However, in the case of HSV1 acting with APOE-e4, they might occur via the virus’s known ability to cause accumulation of beta amyloid (Aβ), and AD-like tau (P-tau), the main components respectively of the characteristic amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) of AD brains (see Itzhaki and Wozniak, 2012).