Herpes zoster arises from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), causing varicella in children. As reactivation occurs when cell-mediated immunity (CMI) declines, and there is evidence that re-exposure to VZV boosts CMI, mass varicella immunization might increase the zoster burden, at least for some decades. Fear of this natural zoster boom is the main reason for the paralysis of var...

St. Mary’s Hospital, Division of Infectious Diseases, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA. Received for publication: August 13, 2011. Reprint request: Birinder S. Singh, M.D., St. Mary’s Hospital, Division of Infectious Diseases, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA. INTRODUCTION Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a ubiquitous human virus that belongs to the subfamily alphaherpesvirinae.1 It contains the smallest ...

BACKGROUND Varicella (chickenpox) is the primary disease caused by varicella-zoster virus. It is extremely contagious and is frequent in children. Indeed, in the absence of vaccination, a high proportion of the population is liable to contract it. Herpes zoster -more frequent among adults- is caused by reactivation of the latent virus. The objective of this study is to describe the status of an...

Chicken pox (Varicella) infection is generally present in children and caused by Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV). There are quite a number of case reports of hypercoagulable state leading to deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and other thromboembolic sequelae following varicella induced auto antibodies to natural anticoagulants in children. But such a clinical entity is rarely seen in adults. Here we re...

In addition to the bloodborne pathogens (BBPs) — human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) — other viruses of concern in the dental office include rubella, mumps and measles viruses; the herpes viruses (herpes simplex virus [HSV] types 1 and 2, varicella-zoster, Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], cytomega lovirus and human herpes virus 6); human papilloma viruses; ad...

Infections are rare but important causes of stroke. Among these, varicella zoster virus has been known to cause ischemic stroke. During an attack of herpes zoster ophthalmicus, it has been hypothesized that the virus replicates in the trigeminal ganglion and travels via the trigeminal nerve centrally to cause cerebral vasculopathy. Here we present a case of a 69 year-old Caucasian immunocomprom...

Varicella zoster virus (VZV), a ubiquitous neurotropic human herpesvirus, causes chickenpox (varicella) and then remains latent for decades in cranial nerve, dorsal root and autonomic nervous system ganglia along the entire neuraxis. Virus reactivation, most often after age 60, produces shingles (zoster), characterized by pain and rash usually restricted to 1-3 dermatomes. In elderly individual...

Relapsing varicella may occur in children with HIV infection and more rarely in younger adults. Our aim was to report unusual clinical, histologic, and virologic aspects of 4 elderly patients with malignant hemopathies who had an unusual form of recurrent varicella develop. Conventional microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization were applied to smears and skin biopsy specimens....

congenital varicella syndrome encompasses a broad spectrum of malformations present in children of mothers who developed chickenpox during the fi rst 20 weeks of gestation. we report a case of a monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy, with maternal exposure to chickenpox during the thirteenth week of gestation, which produced one symptomatic and one healthy child.

background and objective: varicella is a benign childhood infection with considerable complication in none immune adults. the aim of this study was to survey varicella zoster virus (vzv) seroepidemiology in children, adolescents and medical students in children medical center, tehran, iran. material and methods: in this cross sectional study, serum sample of children, adolescents 10 to 18 years...