Herpes zoster neonatorum.

In spite of the widespread occurrence of herpes zoster few cases have been reported in the newborn. As long ago as 1889 Lomer reported its occurrence in an infant aged 4 days and mentioned that a similar case had been reported by Bohn 20 years earlier. Further cases have been reported by Gaehde (1897), Kalb (1909), Bonar and Pearsall (1932), Tausch (1932), Katayama (1938), Freud, Rook and Gurian (1942) and Counter and Korn (1950). The case described by Kalb (1909) is interesting because of multiple symmetrical scar formation in the distribution of the first and second divisions of the trigeminal nerves which was considered to be due to a possible intra-uterine infection with zoster. In Katayama's series of 487 cases only one occurred in the newborn, and in a series of 1,406 cases of herpes zoster reviewed by Lang (1938) there were no cases in children under the age of 4 years. Comby (1922) reported 84 cases which had occurred in children under the age of 15, but the youngest child was 8 months old. In view of the rarity of herpes zoster in the newborn it was thought worth recording the following case which has the added interesting feature that it occurred in a twin, the other twin being unaffected.