Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a human pathogen that infects more than 60% of the global population and has life-long effects. Phylogenetic studies show that there is a lot of genetic diversity in human herpesvirus strains that may affect viral fitness between various stains. The molecular modeling software PyMOL was used to simulate various mutations in viral proteins to hypothesize how various mutations affect protein function and ultimately viral fitness.