Originally Posted by
Excargodog
I’d refer you to the veterinary literature where long term viral hosts are sort of commonplace, everything from Hoof and mouth disease to bat lyssa viruses. The mechanism appears to be a partial immunity with frequent localized breakthroughs, which probably is the mechanism for herpes simplex as well as zoster, albeit on a shorter timescale than zoster.
But it happens in humans too, and with respiratory infections.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3142679/
I think we're splitting hairs.
Summary: Unlike a bacteria, a virus cannot achieve a happy, steady-state, symbiotic existence with your body. It's always either hiding, or fighting your body and immune system. In order to reproduce, it MUST destroy the cells which make up your tissue.
That means viruses are less likely to find a steady-state point where they can just hang out forever, although it does happen in some cases.