INTRODUCTION Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSE) is an acute infection accompanied by significant morbidity and mortality with the diagnosis often made by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. CASE PRESENTATION We report a case of a healthy 35-year-old woman presenting with altered mental status. Due to suspicion of herpes encephalitis, a CSF PCR for herpes vi...

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis is the fulminant necrotizing viral encephalitis associated with high mortality and morbidity. Here we report a case of HSV encephalitis mimicking cerebral infarction who recovered with intensive intravenous acyclovir therapy.

INTRODUCTION Herpes simplex encephalitis is a potentially lethal infection that should be recognised as soon as possible. The combination of clinical history and examination, brain computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and lumbar puncture has been used to establish a diagnosis. CASE PRESENTATION We present a patient who had a suggestive history but a totally normal lumbar puncture...

Encephalitis is a disease characterised by inflammation of the encephalon. An important element to take into account in this pathology that it has several causes, among which viral and metabolic are most important. This clinical picture generally manifests itself with headache, altered mental state, seizures, focal signs, movement disorders, some cases also manifested meningeal or cortical depe...

Detection of DNA from herpes simplex virus in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis has been shown to be more sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis than isolation of herpes simplex virus from biopsy specimens of brain tissue. Because of the invasiveness of brain biopsy, it has been suggested that PCR analysis of CSF may r...

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) often presents as a brain mass with encephalitis. In a patient with GBM, subsequent presentation with new onset encephalitis may be due to another GBM or Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis. We present a case of HSV-1 encephalitis mimicking GBM in a patient with previous GBM.

In this paper seven cases of severe viral encephalitis seen over a four year period at the Princes Alexandria Hospital, Brisbane, are presented. Four of these cases were proven cases of Herpes simplex encephalitis on the basis of viral culture, and three were probable cases of Herpes simplex encephalitis on the basis of rising serum antibody titres. A summary of the clinical aspects and laborat...